They may be the reigning Super Bowl champions, but the Philadelphia Eagles look to be experiencing internal turmoil.
After just six weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season, and with the Eagles having fallen to division rivals Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants on Thursday night, Za’Darius Smith has decided that enough is enough, and has retired with immediate effect.
Za’Darius Smith walks away from the NFL after a decade-long careerGettyThe 33-year-old defensive end spent 10-and-a-half seasons in the league with six teams, but after just one month since signing with the Eagles on a one-year, $9 million deal, Smith walked away.
“Who would’ve thought that a kid from Greenville, AL, with just one year of high school football experience, would go on to play professional football in the NFL for 11 incredible years,”he wrote on Instagram.
“Football has transformed my life and my family’s lives forever — and for that, I’m forever grateful. …
“There have been challenges along the way, but the rewards have outweighed them all and helped me learn, grow, and evolve as a man.”
Smith made just five appearances for Philadelphia, two of which were starts, as he recorded 10 combined tackles – three solo – two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
With a huge hole in the defense, and the reigning champions bidding to achieve a repeat, fans are urgently calling for the Eagles to try and swing a trade for All-Pro Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson.
“Eagles might go for Trey Hendrickson now,” one user posted to X (formerly Twitter).
“After this we have to try and get Trey Hendrickson to the #Eagles thank you Za’Darius. Salute to a solid career,” a second fan wrote.
“With the sudden retirement of Za’Darius Smith and Okoronkwo & Smith Jr on IR the Eagles need serious edge help. Trade for Hendrickson?,” a third echoed.
“It might be time for Howie Roseman & the Philadelphia Eagles to work out something for Trey Hendrickson. Even if he’s got a dinged back,” a fourth tweeted.
A post shared by Smith52 (@zadariussmith)
Za’Darius Smith has called it quits after just six games in an Eagles uniformGetty Eagles fans are calling for the team to find a way to trade for Bengals pass rusher Trey HendricksonGettyHendrickson was involved in a lengthy standoff with the Bengals in the off-season over a multi-year contract extension after a career-best season in which he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks.
Despite having a better statistical production than Myles Garrett, it was the Cleveland Browns star who was rewarded with a record-setting four-year, $160 million extension.
Hendrickson was looking for a deal in that ballpark, but the Bengals wouldn’t budge, and he ultimately wound up signing a one-year, $30 million deal to remain with the team.
Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman is notorious for pulling off great-value deals, but Hendrickson would be a difficult deal to get done due to how much teams would have to give up to acquire his services.
Back in August, NFL insider Dan Graziano spoke exclusively to talkSPORT, whereby he revealed what it would likely take for a team to trade for the 30-year-old star pass rusher.
“A trade is going to be tough at this point because so far the Bengals have asked for a lot when teams have called,” he said.
Hendrickson would fill a huge hole in the Eagles defense if they could acquire himGetty Sirianni has deployed a run-heavy game plan, which has seen a reduction in Hurts throwing the ball down the fieldGetty“You’re talking about a first-round draft pick and a player. And then if you’re the team that gives that up, you now have a 30-year-old edge rusher that wants a new contract.
“So you’re going to have to give the Bengals a high pick, a player, and give the player that you’re getting a brand new, very expensive contract.”
Eagles falling apart at the seams
It is no secret that the Eagles’ Super Bowl title defence has been far from smooth sailing.
Although quarterback Jalen Hurts is throwing the ball at a completion rate of 68 percent – just 0.7 percent shy of his career-high – coach Nick Sirianni has a run-heavy gameplay with reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley at the helm.
This, as well as the overuse of their signature ‘Tush Push’ play, has left star receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown disgruntled over how many targets they are receiving, which has built speculation over a possible trade for either one, or both, of them.
Brown even hit out at his quarterback – with the two’s relationship reportedly having been fractured for some time – after he was overthrown a deep ball which would have seen the WR have a high chance of reaching the endzone for the score in their 21-17 loss at home to the Denver Broncos in Week 5.
Sirianni has a run-heavy gameplan which relies heavily on Barkley (L) and the legs of Hurts (R)Getty Brown and Smith are subject to trade speculation with the WR duo frustrated at lack of targetsGettyIn light of Smith’s retirement announcement, fans have also joked that the Eagles’ internal breakdown could be one of the reasons as to why he may have retired so abruptly.
“He saw what he had in Sirianni as a coach and retired ,” one fan wrote on X.
“Bro’s jumping off the toxic sinking ship,” a second said.
“No way he’s retiring mid season if he thought the Eagles had a shot to win it all. They’re cooked,” a third commented.
But Smith isn’t the only player to have retired shortly after signing with a new team, with Amari Cooper having done the same a week after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the Raiders now 2-4 on the season, perhaps Cooper cut his losses early, and there is growing speculation that Smith has done exactly the same as the Eagles have stuttered to 4-2 and look to be unraveling more and more each day.
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