Could Za'Darius Smith Return to Baltimore?
Za'Darius Smith cashed in on a breakout final season in Baltimore, then became a sack monster in Green Bay. Now that contract could lead to him looking for a new home.
Could it be back in Baltimore?
The Packers are the second-most over the cap team in the league, needing to slash $50.8 million from their books to get under the cap. It seems Smith, who has a cap hit of $27.7 million this season, sees the writing on the wall.
Shortly after, in true #Cometotheravens fashion, Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen and cornerback Marlon Humphrey both took notice.
"It's certainly possible Smith will soon be released," Packerswire’s Zack Kruse wrote. "The Packers must find a way to drastically reduce Smith's impact on the cap before the start of the new league year, and a release appears to be the only sensible path forward. If the Packers cut Smith, the team would save almost $15.3 million on the cap in 2022."
A Ravens fourth-round pick in 2015, Smith put up 8.5 sacks in his final season in Baltimore. In Green Bay, he logged 26 sacks in his first two seasons but played in just one regular-season game last year because of a back injury that required surgery. He returned for the playoffs and registered a sack in just 19 snaps.
Ravenswire’s Kevin Oestreicher sees Baltimore as a possible landing spot for the former Raven.
"Smith spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, and the team could certainly be interested in a reunion if he is indeed let go by Green Bay," Oestreicher wrote. "Baltimore will almost certainly look to beef up their pass rush this offseason, and Smith would be a great place to start."
Danielle Hunter a Potential Trade Target for Ravens
Smith isn't the only potential NFC North cap casualty, or edge rusher, on the media's radar.
The Minnesota Vikings are another team facing salary-cap issues. They face a March 16 deadline to get their salary under the $208.2 million limit before the new league year begins. According to overthecap.com, the Vikings need to shed just over $16 million.
With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed the Ravens as a suitor for Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
"Danielle Hunter has proven to be that guy when healthy," Ballentine wrote. "He missed all of 2020 because of neck surgery and only played in seven games this season before suffering a torn pectoral muscle that ended his season. But in those seven games, he had six sacks—enough to rank No. 2 on the team in Baltimore [in 2021]. The Vikings are going into the offseason at $14 million over the cap, and trading Hunter would save them $18.6 million of his $26.1 million cap hit."
For the Ravens, they'd be taking on a hefty cap hit, but they'd also be acquiring the youngest player to reach 50.0 sacks in NFL history.
While this is an interesting trade proposal, heavy.com’s Trevor Squire notes the Vikings don't need to trade Hunter to get under the salary cap and the team is "not nearly as desperate to make a move on Hunter as it may seem."
"The majority of Hunter's 2022 cap hit comes in the form of an $18 million roster bonus that is fully guaranteed by the fifth day of the new league year (March 21). That bonus has caused some alarm that the Vikings need to ditch him now to free up funds for free agency starting March 16," Squire wrote. "But Minnesota doesn't need to start making calls to create cap space. The Vikings can convert Hunter's roster bonus and stretch those earnings across the final four years of Hunter's contract in $4.5 million increments, per Zone Coverage's Luke Braun."
Should Ravens Prioritize Retaining Pass Rusher Justin Houston?
While considering a trade to acquire Hunter or reuniting with Smith sounds exciting, Baltimore Beatdown’s Frank Platko believes there's a pass rusher in Baltimore already who should be prioritized: Justin Houston.
"…the Ravens should make a strong push to re-sign the veteran and convince him to run it back for another season," Platko wrote. "They have a number of other unrestricted free agents to contend with trying to retain as well as several holes to fill on the roster, but Houston should be at the forefront of the team's free agency plans. As currently stands, without him under contract, the Ravens' edge rusher situation is in flux."
Oestreicher also sees Houston as a worthy re-signing for the Ravens.
"Although Houston isn't the player he was a few seasons ago, he is still a valuable piece for any defense," Oestreicher wrote. "He brings solid production and leadership both on as well as off of the field, and for a player who likely wouldn't break the bank to bring back and also seemingly enjoyed his first year in Baltimore, it feels right that Houston and the Ravens reunited during the 2022 offseason."
The appreciation for Houston also spans to national outlets, as CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan placed Houston in his top 25 NFL free agents on defense, at No. 25.
"Gone are the days where Houston will be rivaling the NFL sack record, but the veteran pass rusher is still a strong rotational piece to a team's front seven," Sullivan wrote. "With the Ravens last year, he started all 15 of his games and registered 4.5 sacks with 24 pressures. Similar to [Bills defensive end Jerry] Hughes, he can still be a valuable piece even as he's in the twilight of his career."
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