It’s been a bumpy couple of weeks for the Philadelphia Eagles, but a curveball that nobody expected is a veteran edge-rusher hanging up the boots a little over a quarter of the way into the season.
Za’Darius Smith took to Instagram on Monday to announce his NFL retirement after a stunning 11-year career that saw him earn three Pro Bowl nods. He ends his NFL chapter with 70.5 sacks, 343 total tackles, 10 forced fumbles, 81 TFL, and 176 QB hits.
Smith joined the Eagles at the beginning of the new season in hopes he would add a veteran presence to a young pass-rush that lost a significant amount of depth this past offseason.