Eagles Fans in Shock as Star Pass Rusher Za’Darius Smith Abruptly Announces His Retirement From the NFL

Philadelphia Eagles fans were surprised on Monday morning after outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith announced his retirement on social media six weeks into the 2025 NFL season.

It turns out that fans weren’t the only ones who were surprised; head coach Nick Sirianni also didn’t see it coming.

“Obviously, I found out this morning a little bit before you guys did,” Sirianni said. “I wish him the best, and I really enjoyed having him on this football team while he was on this football team.”

The Eagles Are Lacking the Edge Depth They Need

The Eagles will now turn to Joshua Uche, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson, and Azeez Ojulari to help fill Smith’s void, a group Sirianni says he remains confident in.

“As far as my confidence in the guys there on that defensive line, a lot of confidence in them,” Sirianni said. “A lot of guys who have played. Young guy in [OLB] Jalyx [Hunt] who’s continuing to get better each and every week. My confidence in him is so high. And then you’ve got guys that have played a lot of football, and I’m excited about those guys and continuing to help them get better within our schemes.

“So yeah, I like that position. I like the depth that we have at that position. Just the numbers of how they play now, it’d be distributed a little bit differently, but I have confidence in those guys and that group that we have going into this next game. “

While the Eagles have quality backups, that is not enough depth at the position, especially after the team recently lost Nolan Smith (triceps) to the Injured Reserve. That means general manager Howie Roseman could end up eyeing a trade at edge rusher ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.

Two names to keep an eye on are Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson and Miami Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips.