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Za’Darius Smith is going from a 2-7 team to a Super Bowl contender, which he told cleveland.com last week that he’d welcome.

The Browns on Tuesday morning traded Smith, 32, and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the 7-1 Detroit Lions for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. They tried to trade other players, including defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, but Smith was the only deal they made.

Smith, a ninth-year pro, was second on the team with 5.0 sacks, behind Myles Garrett’s 7.0.

Smith will help the Lions replace premier edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who underwent season-ending surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula.

Ogbo Okoronkwo (2.0 sacks) will get more reps in Smith’s place, as will Isaiah McGuire (.5 a sack), who’s elevated his game and earned more opportunities.

But Smith’s teammates were hoping that he’d be here for the rest of the of the season.

“Z’s a great teammate, great guy, great player,” Okoronkwo told cleveland.com.

“He definitely became like a big brother to me, so if he leaves, it would be heartbreaking, but it’s a business at the end of the day.

If that were to happen, I wish him the best.

I know he wishes us the best moving forward. He’s a great player and he’s going to continue to be a great player.