After holding firm when outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith asked to be released before free agency, he gets his with to move on from the Minnesota Vikings.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have traded Smith to the Cleveland Browns for draft capital. He also gets a re-worked contract with $11.75 million guaranteed in 2023 while getting to hit the free agent market in 2024.
The #Vikings are trading three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to the #Browns, sources tell me and @TomPelissero.
His reworked deal guarantees him $11.75 million in 2023 and he’ll be a FA next March. Deal negotiated by his new agent @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports. pic.twitter.com/dBld2TfSzp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 12, 2023
Shortly after the trade was announced, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero announced the trade terms and the Vikings don’t fare too well. They send Smith, a and sixth and seventh-round picks in 2025 for a 2024 fifth-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick. The Rich Hill trade chart values the move as a very low fourth-round pick, which is somewhat acceptable capital.
What will be fascinating is how much the Vikings save on the salary cap. A trade can net the Vikings $12.16 million in cap space. Smith getting a re-worked contract could mean the Vikings are taking on some of that money. We won’t know for sure until those details come out.