First, retirement. Now, a new house.
Za’Darius Smith is using the $66 million deal he signed with the Green Bay Packers to spoil his mom, Sharon.
Last week, Smith explained how he drove to Alabama after agreeing to the new deal to surprise his mom with an opportunity to retire early from the Butler County Correctional Facility.
It was an offer she quickly accepted.
“When I got the phone call [from the Packers], I actually drove into Alabama from Baltimore, 14 hours, and sat down at my mom’s job,” Smith said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “I said, ‘Mom, you ready to quit working?’ And one thing she did was, she said, ‘My bag is already packed.’ So that was pretty cool to do that.”
On Friday, Smith posted a photo on Twitter of the new home he bought his mom this week.
“I’m happy to be able to bless my mom with a new home. Big blessings,” Smith wrote.
Smith and the Packers agreed to a four-year, $66 million deal early in free agency. The deal included a $20 million signing bonus and $34.5 million paid out during the first two years, a giant payday for the former fourth-round pick.
Smith took the long way to NFL stardom. He started playing football late in high school and then had to do two years playing at a junior college. He eventually wound up at Kentucky and became a mid-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, and he used a breakout 2018 season – featuring 8.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits – to get paid in free agency.
Smith is already putting that money to good use.
