This past Tuesday was the NFL trade deadline. As anxious as Lions fans were about potentially adding some pass rush help, the player Detroit acquired was notably full of angst as well.
Za’Darius Smith wanted out of Cleveland, where the Browns are 2-7 and drifting farther away from contention with every passing week. Smith had even made it known that Detroit was his preferred destination.
So when a long-rumored deal wasn’t getting done yet on Tuesday morning, Smith shared his frustration with a simple social media post.
“SMH”
Whether the cryptic tweet helped grease the skids for the trade, we may never know. But the deal was done less than 90 minutes later and Smith deleted the post. In his first meeting with the Detroit media, Smith smiled and explained the post.
“It was just taking too long. It was taking too long,” Smith told reporters on Friday. “But obviously they got it done, and I deleted it man. Sorry to the fans that were thinking otherwise.”
The consummate professional, Smith did take time to thank the Browns for a successful stint there and for getting a deal done with Detroit.
“(I) thank them, man, for just having me for two years,” Smith stated. “Well, a year and a half, and trading me here for basically giving me a chance to go do something great.”
Smith is questionable for Sunday night’s game in Houston after only practicing on Friday.
