Za'Darius Smith abruptly retires after 5 games with the Philadelphia Eagles
Za'Darius Smith abruptly announced his retirement Monday, five games into his eighth NFL season and first with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 33-year-old pass rusher called it a career in a post on Instagram. The Eagles lost Thursday night at the New York Giants to fall to 4-2 and play at Minnesota on Sunday.
Smith signed with the reigning Super Bowl champions the day after their Week 1 win against Dallas. He spent last season with Cleveland and Detroit.
"As I step into the newest season of my life, please know this game has meant the world to me," Smith said. "The lessons learned on and off the field will stay with me forever."
Smith was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, in 2019 and 2020 with Green Bay and again in 2022 with Minnesota. He had 10 tackles in five games with the Eagles.
"I wish him the best, and I really enjoyed having him on this football team while he was on this football team," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.