Za'Darius Smith
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/thumb/cle1.png)
Cleveland Browns, Defensive End
Age: 31-7d (Sep 08, 1992)
Exp: 10 Years
Country: US
College: Kentucky
Drafted: Round 4 (#122 overall), 2015
Agent(s): Erik Burkhardt (Roc Nation Sports)
2024 Cap Hit
$5,235,000
2024 Cash
$12,000,000
Career Earnings
$77,967,546
2024-2025 Free Agent (CURRENT)
Za'Darius Smith signed a 2 year , $23,000,000 contract with the Cleveland Browns, including $10,790,000 signing bonus, $12,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $11,500,000. In 2024, Smith will earn a base salary of $1,210,000 and a signing bonus of $10,790,000, while carrying a cap hit of $5,235,000 and a dead cap value of $19,468,000.
Contract Terms:
2 yr(s) / $23,000,000
Average Salary:
$11,500,000
Signing Bonus:
$10,790,000
GTD at Sign:
$12,000,000
Total GTD:
$12,000,000
Free Agent:
2026 / UFA
Year | Age | Status | Cap HitAnnual | Cap % League Cap | Cash Annual | Cash Cumulative | Dead Cap Annual | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 |
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32 | $5,235,000 | 2.05% | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 | $19,468,000 | |||||
POTENTIAL OUT: 2025, 1 YR, $12,000,000; $14,233,000 DEAD CAP | ||||||||||||
2025 |
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33 | $9,433,000 | 3.45% | $11,000,000 | $23,000,000 | $14,233,000 | |||||
2026 |
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34 |
Void UFA |
$15,800,000 | 5.40% | - | - | $10,208,000 | ||||
2027 |
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Void
|
$5,423,000 | 1.73% | - | - | - |
Year | Age | Status | Base P5 Salary | Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Option Bonus | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | AYC Cumulative | AYC Remaining | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 |
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32 | $1,210,000 | $10,790,000 | - | - | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 | $11,500,000 | |
2025 |
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33 | $1,500,000 | - | $2,000,000 | $6,990,000 | $11,000,000 | $23,000,000 | $11,500,000 | $11,000,000 | |
2026 |
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34 |
Void |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2027 |
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35 |
Void |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Contract Notes
- $12M guaranteed (signing bonus + 2024 salary)
- 2025 Roster Bonus: $2M (3rd league day of 2025)
- 2025 Option Bonus: $6.99M (3rd league day of 2025)
- 2025 Per Game Active Bonus: $30,000 ($510,000)
Source:
NFL contract specifics generally collected from verified reports.
2023-2023 Extension
Za'Darius Smith signed a 1 year , $11,710,000 contract with the Cleveland Browns, including $9,335,000 signing bonus, $10,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $11,710,000. In 2024, Smith will earn a base salary of $1,210,000, while carrying a cap hit of $3,077,000 and a dead cap value of $7,468,000.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $11,710,000
Average Salary:
$11,710,000
Signing Bonus:
$9,335,000
GTD at Sign:
$10,500,000
Total GTD:
$10,500,000
Free Agent:
2024 / UFA
2022-2024 Free Agent
Za'Darius Smith signed a 3 year , $42,000,000 contract with the Minnesota Vikings, including $5,000,000 signing bonus, $11,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,000,000. In 2024, Smith will earn a base salary of $14,450,000, a roster bonus of $2,500,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000, while carrying a cap hit of $21,666,666 and a dead cap value of $1,666,666.
Contract Terms:
3 yr(s) / $42,000,000
Average Salary:
$14,000,000
Signing Bonus:
$5,000,000
GTD at Sign:
$6,450,000
Total GTD:
$11,500,000
Free Agent:
2025 / UFA
2019-2022
Za'Darius Smith signed a 4 year , $66,000,000 contract with the Green Bay Packers, including $20,000,000 signing bonus, $20,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $16,500,000.
Contract Terms:
4 yr(s) / $66,000,000
Average Salary:
$16,500,000
Signing Bonus:
$20,000,000
GTD at Sign:
$20,000,000
Total GTD:
$20,000,000
Free Agent:
2023 / UFA
2015-2018 Rookie
Za'Darius Smith signed a 4 year , $2,763,152 contract with the Baltimore Ravens, including $483,152 signing bonus, $483,152 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $690,788.
Contract Terms:
4 yr(s) / $2,763,152
Average Salary:
$690,788
Signing Bonus:
$483,152
GTD at Sign:
$483,152
Total GTD:
$483,152
Free Agent:
2019 / UFA
Career Earnings thru 2024
$77,967,546
Career Earnings w/ Different Teams
4 teams
Earnings Per Year
Year | Age | Team(s) | Status | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 23 |
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Active
|
$1,036,376 |
$1,036,376 |
|
2016 | 24 |
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Active
|
$525,000 |
$1,561,376 |
|
2017 | 25 |
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Active
|
$615,000 |
$2,176,376 |
|
2018 | 26 |
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Active
|
$1,907,000 |
$4,083,376 |
|
2019 | 27 |
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Active
|
$22,250,000 |
$26,333,376 |
|
2020 | 28 |
![]() |
Active
|
$12,281,239 |
$38,614,615 |
|
2021 | 29 |
![]() |
Active
|
$16,529,411 |
$55,144,026 |
|
2022 | 30 |
![]() |
Active
|
$12,323,520 |
$67,467,546 |
|
2023 | 31 |
![]() |
Active
|
$10,500,000 |
$77,967,546 |
|
Total |
$77,967,546 |
$77,967,546 |
||||
2024 | 32 |
![]() |
Active
|
$12,000,000 |
||
2025 | 33 |
![]() |
Active
|
$11,000,000 |
||
Total |
$100,967,546 |
Year | Team(s) | Age | Base | Signing | Roster | Restructure | Option | Workout | Incentives | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 |
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23 |
$435,000
|
$483,152 |
$118,224 |
$1,036,376 |
$1,036,376 |
||||
2016 |
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24 |
$525,000
|
$525,000 |
$1,561,376 |
||||||
2017 |
![]() |
25 |
$615,000
|
$615,000 |
$2,176,376 |
||||||
2018 |
![]() |
26 |
$1,907,000
|
$1,907,000 |
$4,083,376 |
||||||
2019 |
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27 |
$1,000,000
|
$20,000,000 |
$500,000 |
$750,000 |
$22,250,000 |
$26,333,376 |
|||
2020 |
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28 |
$2,000,000
|
$9,500,000 |
$750,000 |
$31,239 |
$12,281,239 |
$38,614,615 |
|||
2021 |
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29 |
$990,000
|
$14,760,000 |
$29,411 |
$750,000 |
$16,529,411 |
$55,144,026 |
|||
2022 |
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30 |
$1,450,000
|
$5,000,000 |
$2,823,520 |
$50,000 |
$3,000,000 |
$12,323,520 |
$67,467,546 |
||
2023 |
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31 |
$1,165,000
|
$9,335,000 |
$10,500,000 |
$77,967,546 |
|||||
Total |
$10,087,000 |
$34,818,152 |
$14,760,000 |
$12,852,931 |
$2,300,000 |
$3,149,463 |
$77,967,546 |
$77,967,546 |
|||
2024 |
![]() |
32 |
$1,210,000
|
$10,790,000 |
$12,000,000 |
||||||
2025 |
![]() |
33 |
$1,500,000
|
$2,000,000 |
$6,990,000 |
$11,000,000 |
|||||
Total |
$12,797,000 |
$45,608,152 |
$14,760,000 |
$14,852,931 |
$6,990,000 |
$2,300,000 |
$3,149,463 |
$100,967,546 |
Earnings Per Team
Years | Team | Base | Signing | Roster | Restructure | Option | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 |
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$3,482,000 | $483,152 | - | - | - | $118,224 | $4,083,376 |
3 |
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$3,990,000 | $20,000,000 | $10,029,411 | $14,760,000 | $2,250,000 | $31,239 | $51,060,650 |
1 |
![]() |
$1,450,000 | $5,000,000 | $2,823,520 | - | $50,000 | $3,000,000 | $12,323,520 |
1 |
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$1,165,000 | $9,335,000 | - | - | - | - | $10,500,000 |
Injuries
Year | Weeks | Reason | |
---|---|---|---|
2021 |
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2 - 18 | Back |
-
Mar 11, 2024 Signed a 2 year $23 million contract with Cleveland (CLE)
-
Dec 22, 2023 Fined $16,391 Roughing the Passer against Chicago (CHI)
-
Oct 20, 2023 Fined $10,927 Unsportsmanlike Conduct against San Francisco (SF)
-
May 12, 2023 Signed a 1 year $10.5 million restructured contract with Cleveland (CLE)
-
May 12, 2023 Traded to Cleveland (CLE) from Minnesota (MIN) with 2025 6th round pick and 2025 7th round pick for 2025 5th round pick and 2024 5th round pick (#157 - traded)
-
Mar 22, 2022 Signed a 3 year $42 million contract with Minnesota (MIN)
-
Mar 17, 2021 Converted $14.26 million of 2021 salary into bonus, clearing $7.38M of cap space with Green Bay (GB)
-
Sep 25, 2020 Fined $10,000 Unsportsmanlike Conduct against Detroit (DET)
-
Oct 11, 2019 Fined $10,527 Unsportsmanlike Conduct against Dallas (DAL)
-
Mar 12, 2019 Signed a 4 year $66 million contract with Green Bay (GB)
-
Oct 06, 2017 Fined $18,231 Roughing the Passer against Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
-
Oct 28, 2016 Fined $18,231 Roughing the Passer against Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ)
-
May 08, 2015 Signed a 4 year $2.763 million contract with Baltimore (BAL)
-
May 02, 2015 Drafted by Baltimore (BAL): Round 4 (#122 overall)
Fines
Date | Reason | Fine Amount | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 28, 2016 |
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Roughing the Passer against Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ) | $18,231 | |
Oct 06, 2017 |
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Roughing the Passer against Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) | $18,231 | |
Oct 11, 2019 |
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Unsportsmanlike Conduct against Dallas (DAL) | $10,527 | |
Sep 25, 2020 |
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Unsportsmanlike Conduct against Detroit (DET) | $10,000 | |
Oct 20, 2023 |
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Unsportsmanlike Conduct against San Francisco (SF) | $10,927 | |
Dec 22, 2023 |
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Roughing the Passer against Chicago (CHI) | $16,391 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | Snaps | Snaps% | Sack | Tackles Total | Tackles Solo | Tackles Assisted | FFum | Int |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | CLE | 16 | 15 | 584 | 58.60 | 6 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 1 | |
2022 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 771 | 66.40 | 10 | 44 | 32 | 12 | 1 | |
2021 | GB | 1 | 18 | 30.00 | 1 | 1 | |||||
2020 | GB | 16 | 16 | 860 | 83.90 | 13 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 3 | |
2019 | GB | 16 | 16 | 883 | 84.30 | 14 | 55 | 41 | 14 | 1 | |
2018 | BAL | 16 | 8 | 692 | 66.90 | 9 | 45 | 27 | 18 | 1 | |
2017 | BAL | 14 | 4 | 531 | 48.60 | 4 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 1 | |
2016 | BAL | 13 | 4 | 494 | 47.50 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1 | |
2015 | BAL | 15 | 407 | 38.10 | 6 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
Calculated Market Value
Market Value
- 2 years, $27,642,812
- Avg. Salary: $13,821,406
- NFL Rank: 166
- DE Rank: 14
Current Contract
- Free Agent: 2026
- Avg. Salary: $11,500,000
- NFL Rank: 204
- DE Rank: 19
Comparable Players
We've selected the following players based on their age, contract status, and statistical production to compare Za'Darius Smith to.
Player | Length | Value | Avg. Salary | Age When Signed |
---|---|---|---|---|
Preston Smith | 4 | $52,000,000 | $13,000,000 | 29 |
Randy Gregory | 5 | $70,000,000 | $14,000,000 | 29 |
Matt Judon | 4 | $54,500,000 | $13,625,000 | 28 |
Shaquil Barrett | 4 | $68,000,000 | $17,000,000 | 28 |
Averages | 4 | $61,125,000 | $14,406,250 | 28.5 |
Base Calculated Value
After adjusting the above contracts as if signed at Smith's current age (31), a linear regression is performed, providing us with the following initial value.
Length | Value | Avg. Salary |
---|---|---|
2 | $27,816,666 | $13,908,333 |
Statistical Comparisons
Now we'll compare our variables and Smith statistically over the two seasons prior to their signing. In this case we're analyzing: GP%, Tackles/Gm, Sacks/Gm, Stops/Gm, QB Hurries/Gm, Rating
Player | GP% | Tackles/Gm | Sacks/Gm | Stops/Gm | QB Hurries/Gm | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preston Smith
2020-2021
|
96.97 | 1.69 | 0.41 | 1.50 | 1.88 | 66.95 |
Randy Gregory
2020-2021
|
66.67 | 1.36 | 0.43 | 1.14 | 1.73 | 79.55 |
Matt Judon
2019-2020
|
93.75 | 2.50 | 0.52 | 1.93 | 1.50 | 64.95 |
Shaquil Barrett
2019-2020
|
96.88 | 2.84 | 0.89 | 2.29 | 3.39 | 74.20 |
Average | 88.57 | 2.10 | 0.56 | 1.72 | 2.13 | 71.41 |
Za'Darius Smith
2022-2023
|
96.97 | 1.56 | 0.48 | 1.47 | 2.91 | 82.40 |
Pct Change | 9.48 | -25.71 | -14.29 | -14.53 | 36.62 | 15.39 |
Median Prime % Change | -2.41% | |||||
Average Prime % Change | 1.16% |
Calculated Market Value: Za'Darius Smith
After applying our Prime % figures into our base calculated value, we're given two values. The average of these values becomes our current calculated market value.
Terms | Avg. Salary |
---|---|
2 years, $27,642,812 | $13,821,406 |