The three-time Pro Bowler had to pay thousands to buy the number from his new Lions teammate after he was traded to Detroit

The downside to moving to a new team is that you might not end up getting the number you want unless you’re willing to pay for it, and that’s exactly what Za’Darius Smith did afterward will be dealt from Cleveland to Detroit on November 5th.

Smith wore number 99 with the Browns since the start of the 2023 season, but after he landed in Detroit, the Lions told him keeping that number wasn’t an option.

“I came in and signed and they said, ‘Man, you’ve got three choices, you can get any number in the ’70s, any number in the ’80s, and I think it was the ’60s.’ And I thought, ‘No way,'” Smith told the media Friday.

Smith didn’t like any of his options, so he came up with another idea.

“I asked myself, ‘Who has number 99?’ And they told me who it was and we looked up his number and called him real quick,” Smith said.

The man they called was Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin, who wore number 99 at the start of the season but will no longer wear it after being sold. Smith wouldn’t reveal how much he paid, but he did give a hint.

“The usual course? I would say there are three zeros at the end,” Smith said.

If there were three zeros at the end, that meant Smith paid anywhere between $1,000 and $9,000.

“I won’t tell you the exact price, but for sure he’ll have good money and put some gas in his car,” Smith said.

In the end, the three-time Pro Bowler got the number he wanted.

“Thankful [Martin]a guy from Alabama, man, Tuscaloosa,” Smith said. “I had the opportunity to talk to him for a while and I had to pay a little, but everything is good. “I have No. 99 now.

Normally players are not allowed to change their numbers in the middle of the season, but since Martin has not appeared in a game this year, the change was allowed to take place and Martin will now wear number 96 while Smith will receive number 99.

Even though Smith received his number, you probably won’t see it on the field in Week 10. According to NFL.com, Smith is not expected to play against the Texans. If Smith had stayed in Cleveland, he would have had a bye with the Browns this week, and it looks like the Lions will give him the week off instead of asking him to play 18 games.