Former Green Bay Packers edge rusher Za'Darius Smith is coming out of retirement. Smith, who played for the Packers from 2019-2021, is signing with the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced on Tuesday, Aug. 18. He's getting a one-year contract worth $6 million, according to Ian Rapoport of ESPN and the NFL Network. His return to the NFL comes less than a year after the 33-year-old Smith announced his retirement during the middle of last season after playing five games with the Philadelphia Eagles. At the time he said, "I knew this day would come — but now that it's here, I'm feeling so many emotions I never expected. Who would've thought that a kid from Greenville, AL, with just one year of high school football experience, would go on to play professional football in the NFL for 11 incredible years!" Smith had his best years with the Packers.
The #Falcons are giving Za’Darius Smith a 1-year deal worth $6M, source said. He has a chance to make $8M. https://t.co/6DK8xCkkuq — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 18, 2026 In 2019, his first season in Green Bay following four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Smith had a career-high 13.5 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl. He followed that with a 12.5-sack season in 2020, a campaign that ended with a second-team All-Pro honor. Smith played in all 16 games in each of those seasons. A back injury limited him to only one game in 2021. He was released after that season and he voiced his displeasure toward the Packers on his way out, saying the team made him feel like "a nobody" while he was injured. Smith then signed with the Minnesota Vikings, in part, so he could play the Packers twice a season. He was healthy again, playing 16 games, and earned his third Pro Bowl of his career after a 10.0 sack season in 2022. After one season in Minnesota, Smith then went to the Cleveland Browns for a year and a half before he was traded at the deadline to the Detroit Lions during the 2024 season. Smith signed a one-year contract for the Eagles before the 2025 season, but by Oct. 13 he announced he was done with football. Now, he's back and reuniting with new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski, fired by the Browns after the 2025 season, was Smith's head coach in Cleveland. Smith didn't get a chance to play the Packers last year in Philadelphia since he had retired by the time the Eagles came to Lambeau Field for a Monday night game in November. But if he sticks around this time, he'll get another chance. The Falcons come to Lambeau Field for Green Bay's home opener on "Thursday Night Football" Sept. 24. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Packers All-Pro edge rusher Za'Darius Smith comes out of retirement