Za'Darius Smith says he wants to play for the Lions for a specific reason

The NFC North already has "The Aaron Jones Revenge Tour" but the "Za'Darius Smith Revenge Tour" may be coming to D-Town, if it were up to Smith anyway.

Smith, who is currently playing for the 1-5 Cleveland Browns, was asked about the possibility of being traded to a Super Bowl contender before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

In his reply, Smith endorsed a surprising destination as he gave his thoughts about Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson's season-ending leg injury.

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"Hate that injury happened to him, a guy that was on his way to get Defensive Player of the Year possible," Smith said. "That's a big loss for them. But if I was to go to Detroit, I would like it because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year. So yeah, that'll be big."

Related: Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson carted off the field after gruesome injury

While this speaks volumes about the culture in the Cleveland locker room, it speaks louder of the motives of the 32-year-old Smith.

Smith played for the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021, recording 26 sacks and making two Pro Bowls in 2019 and 2020. But an injury limited him to just one game in 2021 and his release led his way to the Vikings in 2022.

Smith played 16 games and recorded 10 sacks for the Vikings in 2022 but his effectiveness declined as the season progressed. Smith demanded a new contract after the year but the Vikings traded him to Cleveland.

Smith played 16 games for the Browns in 2023 but managed just 5.5 sacks, which led him to return to Cleveland on a one-year, $11.7 million contract this spring.

Smith has three sacks and ranks 20th among 117 qualifying edge rushers this season with a 16.4% pass-rush win rate. The Lions are in the market for a pass rusher after losing Marcus Davenport to a torn triceps earlier this month and Hutchinson to a fractured tibia and fibula in last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys.

But Smith's idea would need to come to fruition quickly. The Lions play the Vikings in a major NFC North showdown on Sunday afternoon and if Minnesota wins, they could be on the fast track to making a Week 18 meeting in Detroit become meaningless.

Related: Lions' Dan Campbell on facing Vikings: 'This is big boy football'

The Lions also play the Packers on Nov. 3 – two days before the Nov. 5 trade deadline – which also means it would need to be less than a "midnight" deal.

While there's no steam of a trade in the works, Smith has definitely begun the campaign to get out of Cleveland and it could lead the Lions to inquire about his or another edge rusher's services leading up to the trade deadline.