Za'Darius Smith said goodbye to Minnesota Vikings fans on Thursday after a single, successful season. There was just one problem.
The team, which still has him under contract, reportedly doesn't want him gone.
The mix-up started when the Pro Bowl pass-rusher tweeted his good wishes to the fanbase in the afternoon. Anyone who follows the NFL will recognize the tweet as the player's announcement he's moving on, so it stood to reason Smith knew he was about to become yet another NFL salary cap casualty.
I just want to say “Thank you!