You've probably read/heard about the Khalil Mack trade by now. Therefore, the details shall be spared.

Coincidentally, the Packers have a big decision to make when it comes to one of their own top pass rushers in Za'Darius Smith. The Packers are in really bad shape cap-wise and Smith is responsible for a big cap hit in 2022. Therefore, he's a prime suspect when it comes to salary cap maneuvers.

Mack's trade obviously affects the Packers in a few ways, but what does it say about Smith's potential future prospects?

The Bears have an entirely new regime in place, which is key

And the Packers don't.

Meaning, Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst know what Smith is capable of and how he fits on the team. However, that gets a bit tricky with defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Technically, Barry hasn't had much playtime experience with Smith due to the back injury that took Smith out for basically the entire year. New outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich is likely unfamiliar with him, as well. But, Barry has been around Smith since February of 2021, so he knows him to that extent, at least.

The Bears have a new GM in Ryan Poles and head coach in Matt Eberflus. New defensive coordinator Alan Williams is bringing Eberflus four-down linemen, even front defense to Chicago, which doesn't cater to Mack's strengths. All of that worked against Mack during the Bears' evaluation.

That's not the case for Smith, whatsoever. Which really helps when it comes to potentially working something out in regards to staying in Green Bay or getting traded somewhere. Both options are much better then having to go through job interviews.

Mack's "value" is not a good sign for Smith, however

For the Bears, trading Mack makes sense in the grand scheme of things. As an outsider, you would like to have seen them get more compensation in the end, though.

If I'm Smith, I would've liked to have seen more compensation involved, as well.

Snagging a 2022 second-rounder and a sixth in 2023 is crazy cheap for Mack. And it's hard to buy into the whole "Mack's 2022-2024 salary took away trade value" argument.

Mack has semi-manageable cap hits over the next three seasons after the trade. The Chargers had $36 million in effective cap space before the trade and they have $19 million now. In other words: they had money to spend.

Los Angeles also has two more seasons before Justin Herbert's fifth-year option kicks in. His cap hits are a mere $7.3 million in 2022 and $8.5 million in 2023. That's so cheap for a quarterback that good.

Either way, if that's what Mack brought in, what will Smith bring in? And will the Packers consider it worth the trade? Smith, unlike Mack, is in the last year of his deal, so teams will either look at him as a one-year rental. Or, they'll look at him as someone they'll have to not just trade for, but give contract extension to, also. Both of those aspects are likely to affect Smith's value, before anything.

And, like Mack, Smith is coming off a bad injury. Even if he played in the playoffs, teams are going to wonder about that with a 30-year-old.

But even if Smith doesn't bring in even an adequate return, one would think the Packers still take the deal. Receiving something is always better than nothing.

It all depends on how interested teams are, at the end of the day. There may not be many interested in Smith, even if that is hard to imagine. No interest, no trade. It can be that simple, sometimes.

So what it all boils down to is the relationship between the two parties

Is the Packers really want Smith to stay and if he really wants to stay, then something will get worked out.

This is total speculation, but it doesn't feel like that will be the case, unfortunately. It's too bad, too, because Smith's first two years were very productive. To become a cap casualty after a down year due to injury feels like a bad deal, but the NFL is a cruel, unjust world. This is just business, at the end of the day.

The good news is that Smith won't be on the market long, if he is indeed released. He still has plenty left in the tank and there are plenty of teams that need a good pass rusher.

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