Browns fans are excited about new defensive end Za’Darius Smith, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
That puts Smith back in the AFC North, the same division as the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Ravens fans might be salty with him after they thought he would return to the team last season. While Smith and the Ravens reportedly agreed to a deal, he contends the contract never got signed.
“Baltimore, I don’t know, man,” Smith said, according to NFL.com. “It was something where somebody leaked something and said that I agreed to the deal, but I never did. And a lot of Baltimore Ravens fans are upset about that. Like when I said when I get ready to go back, it’s going to be pretty fun because a lot of people may be booing and a lot of people may be happy for me at the same time. So it’s all fun and games at the end of the day.”
Smith also spoke about what led to his exit from the Vikings.
“For one, it wasn’t set up right,” Smith said when asked why he wanted to re-do his contract in Minnesota. “Going through Green Bay my last year, I had the injury and a lot of teams started to say this and that about Z, but it wasn’t about that. I’m always a team guy. You can call any player from any facility that I’ve been in and ask them about who Z really is. But a lot of people make stories up and it just didn’t work out. I hated that. Wish I could have stayed and been a Smith Bro with Preston, but just happy to be here now, man, and get a new fresh start and continue my career here.”
Browns fans are certainly happy about the situation leading to Smith landing in Cleveland.
[NFL.com]
