FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- New Atlanta Falcons defensive end Za'Darius Smith opened up Wednesday for the first time about why he suddenly retired during last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Smith, who the Falcons signed last week, said in a news conference that he got a call from his mother's doctor last year and was informed that his mother did not have much longer to live. Smith said he wanted to leave the Eagles at that point, and his only recourse was to retire.
Smith, 33, played five games last season in Philadelphia. After retiring in October, Smith said his mother died. Then, his grandmother and father died, too.
"I was in a dark place," Smith said.
When he got a call from Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry earlier this month, Smith said he told him he loved football and still wanted to play. Smith visited with the Browns, but said he didn't sign right away because the money did not work for him initially. He still intended to play in Cleveland, where he played in 2023 and 2024, after negotiating.
But then the Falcons called him. Atlanta had just lost edge rusher Jalon Walker (ACL) for the season and another edge rusher, James Pearce Jr., was suspended eight games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Smith said the Falcons told them they needed him.
Atlanta was a perfect fit, Smith said. Not only was his former coach, Kevin Stefanski, the team's head man, but the Falcons are the closest team to his home in Montgomery, Alabama.
"My mom -- rest her soul, man -- she always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons," Smith said.
Smith ended up signing a one-year, $6 million deal with the Falcons on Aug. 18. He said in honor of his mother he is working on getting two Greyhound buses to park in front of his church in Montgomery on game days to take his mother's "church family" back and forth to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is about 2 1/2 hours away.
Smith has 70.5 career sacks in 11 season and was a 2020 All-Pro second-team selection with the Green Bay Packers. He said he has plenty of football left in him and his goal is to reach 100 sacks
When Smith arrived in Atlanta last week, he sat down to talk with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who is grieving the death of his wife Cristina after a battle with cancer.
"I don't know if he knew about mine or not, but he told me and I said, "Coach, come here, man -- just give me a hug because I know exactly what you're going through, man,'" Smith said. "So that's how we immediately connected."
The Falcons were handed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty last week in a preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts for excessive celebration. The team stormed the field after running back Tyler Goodson's 49-yard touchdown run. Smith, though with the team for just three days at that point, was one of the first players out there with a huge smile on his face.
"You'll know the reason why now," Smith said, "because I haven't been that happy in a long time."