Although Za’Darius Smith is no longer with the Cleveland Browns, his impact on their salary cap isn’t over.

Chris Pokorny, founder of Dawgs By Nature and lifelong Browns fan, offers editorial oversight, covering the team extensively, including travel tips for road games.

At the NFL trade deadline, the Cleveland Browns made a significant move by trading DE Za’Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a couple of draft picks. However, Smith’s departure does not completely eliminate his financial impact on the Browns, especially considering the new contract GM Andrew Berry gave him earlier this offseason.

When the contract was broken down, it was noted that Smith received an $18.258 million signing bonus, which would be spread across a few void years. That signing bonus money remains on the Browns’ books. Of that amount, $4.025 million for the 2024 signing bonus is already accounted for this season, but the remaining $14.233 million will count as dead cap space for the Browns in 2025.

Detroit will inherit the rest of Smith’s  contract, including half of his 2024 base salary, which adds $605,000 to their cap. While the Browns will gain some cap relief this year, Detroit will also have to manage Smith’s $2 million roster bonus in 2025 and the $6.99 million option bonus due at that time, which are no longer the Browns’ concern.

Looking back, re-signing Smith appears to have been a poor decision. He was brought back with hopes of the Browns contending for the playoffs, but now, Cleveland has recouped a fifth- and sixth-round pick for his services, which could eventually be packaged for a higher draft pick, like a fourth-rounder.