Browns trade Za’Darius Smith to the Lions for draft picks

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Za'Darius Smith is going from a 2-7 team to a Super Bowl contender.

The Browns on Tuesday morning traded Smith, 32, and a 2026 7th round pick to the 7-1 Detroit Lions for a 2025 fifth round pick and a 2026 sixth rounder.

Smith, a ninth-year pro, is second on the team with 5.0 sacks, behind Myles Garrett.

Smith will help the Lions replace premier edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who underwent season-ending surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula.

Ogbo Okoronkwo get more reps in Smith's place, as will Isaiah McGuire, who's elevated his game and has earned more opportunities.

But Smith's teammates were hoping that he'd be here for the rest of the of the season.

"Z's a great teammate, great guy, great player," Okoronkwo told cleveland.com . "He definitely became like a big brother to me, so if he leaves, it would be heartbreaking, but it's a business at the end of the day. If that were to happen, I wish him the best. I know he wishes us the best moving forward. He's a great player and he's going to continue to be a great player."

More Cleveland Browns coverage

Barker, Mack set as featured guests at 455 Club's holiday party

The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports: Which rising stars could make 2025's list?

Does Browns coach Kevin Stefanski have to win a certain number of games to save his job? Hey, Mary Kay!

Ideally, the Lions would've loved to have Myles Garrett or Raiders' Maxx Crosby, but knew they were unattainable. The Browns have no plans of parting with the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. .Therefore, they went for the next tier of rushers, and Smith was their top target.

Asked by cleveland.com on Thursday if it would be fun to go to a Super Bowl contender like the Lions, Smith said, "Obviously it would, but, hey, it's football. I still get paid."

The Browns had to weigh the draft picks against Smith on the roster for the final eight games of this season, and possibly next year.

With Smith, 32, under contract for next season at a cap charge of only $9.433 million, the Browns didn't want to give him away. He's been a nice compliment to Myles Garrett, who sacked Justin Herbert three times on Sunday to reclaim the team lead with 7.0. In the offseason, Smith signed a two-year deal with the Browns worth $23 million, including $12 million guaranteed and an average salary of $11.5 million — a bargain for a double-digit sacker if he had kept up at his current clip.

"Za'Darius is an amazing teammate," Denzel Ward said. "He's a leader on this team and a playmaker out there on the field. I love having Za'Darius on the field with me. That was one of my favorite additions to the team when he came on. He's a great player and a great guy in the locker room. I definitely appreciate Za'Darius, the player he is and the guy he is."

With the Browns slipping to 2-7, they'll be more likely to part with some players they might otherwise hung onto. But they're not expected to trade big-name players such as David Njoku or Greg Newsome II.

"I mean, Z's my brother, man," safety Juan Thornhill said. "He means a lot. Everybody's going to feel it if he's leaving here. It's going to hurt. He means a lot. He gets back there. He brings a lot of energy. He's one of the leaders of our defense, but I wish nothing but the best for him. It is going to be tough. It's going to be tough losing a guy like that."

Joel Bitonio agreed, especially in the wake of the Amari Cooper trade to Buffalo.

"We already saw a guy go," Bitonio said. "It's tough. It's not where we want to be. You understand it's a business in the NFL, but you never want to see the guys that you come into a season with get traded away."