Za'Darius Smith was given 42 million reasons to sign with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. Make that 42 million and one after his latest fighting words against his former club – the Green Bay Packers.
In a sit down with Go Long‘s Tyler Dunne, Smith was candid in that one of the primary reasons he joined the Vikings in particular was to be able to have multiple cracks at Green Bay.
Via Go Long:
“Walking past me not saying nothing. ‘Z, how’s your back doing?’ — there was none of that,” Za'Darius Smith said. “As you can see, that adds on to why I’m on the other side. So, I can go back. I get to go back two times a year. . . . I put my back on the fucking line. I put everything. And that Year Three, I was treated bad. That’s why I’m here now. So, I can play them twice a year.”
Smith initially agreed to a four-year, $35 million incentive-laden deal with the Baltimore Ravens. But the robust market for edge rushers gave him cold feet on the agreement and eventually spurned the team that drafted him for greener pastures. Not only did the Vikings come in hot with a three-year, $42 million deal but they also offered him a chance to be in the same division as the Packers.
Za'Darius Smith truly came into his own during his first two seasons in Green Bay. He was named to the second-team All-Pro in 2020 while also making the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons for 2019 and 2020. He was a big part of their success as the Packers made the NFC Conference Championship in both seasons. But the relationship turned sour particularly during last season as disagreements with his back injury pushed to him getting a second opinion that eventually led to him getting surgery.
Expect some fireworks when the Vikings and Packers square off in Week 1 – some of which will be courtesy of Za'Darius Smith.
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