Za'Darius Smith signs $42M deal with Minnesota Vikings
It seemed like a formality when Za'Darius Smith posted a photo of himself smiling at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, and when Adam Thielen tweeted about Smith liking life in Minnesota. And now it is a done deal.
The Vikings confirmed Tuesday that Smith has signed with the team, where he'll be the bookend edge rusher to Danielle Hunter.
ZA'DARIUS‼️
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 22, 2022
The #Vikings have agreed to terms with @zadariussmith.
📰: https://t.co/7kzcA7fEiN pic.twitter.com/rKPZI46RVM
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Smith is getting a three-year deal worth $42 million, though escalators could push its value up to $47 million. To make signing him possible, the Vikings and Hunter agreed to restructure his deal, with ESPN's Field Yates saying Hunter's $18 million roster bonus is being converted to a signing bonus, which creates $13.5 million cap space this year.
Za’Darius Smith agreed to terms with the Minnesota Vikings, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 22, 2022
3 year deal
Base value of 42 million
Worth up to 47 million with incentives
14 million APY
Smith, 29, played just 18 snaps this past season and underwent back surgery to repair an injury. If he were to sign with the Vikings, he and Danielle Hunter, who has played in just seven games over the past two seasons due to injuries, would create one of the best 1-2 pass-rushing punches in the NFL. At least when they're healthy.
Smith racked up a combined 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020 and made it to the Pro Bowl both years.
The addition of Smith gives defensive coordinator Ed Donatell quite a bit to work with, though he'll need his starters to stay healthy unlike seasons past. He's got Smith and Hunter attacking from the edges, with "Horrible" Harrison Phillips and Dalvin Tomlinson on the interior. The linebackers consist of Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks.
Overall, that's a lot of guys who can get to the quarterback, which might be paramount in 2022 considering Harrison Smith is the only bonafide starter set to return in the secondary.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.