What made Za’Darius Smith retire midseason? The heartbreaking family reason behind his decision(Getty Images)
Za’Darius Smith did not plan to retire from the NFL in 2025.
His mother’s doctor told him she did not have much time left. “I got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth,” Smith said during his Falcons press conference. He had just joined the Philadelphia Eagles and still had plenty left in the tank. But five games into the season, one phone call changed everything. Smith then made a choice that put family ahead of football. The three-time Pro Bowler later faced more devastating losses. His mother died, followed by his grandmother and father within months. Now back with the Atlanta Falcons, Smith has opened up about the grief that pushed him into a dark place and the game that helped him find his footing again.
“My mom always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons,” Smith said, according to his August 26 press conference. “This is my happy place,” Smith said during the August 26 press conference. “I was in a dark place.”
“I let the team know. Obviously they wasn’t trying to let me leave. But that was the only thing I had left to retire. Atlanta also keeps him closer to his Alabama roots.