The Green Bay Packers defense is in a good spot, and head coach Matt LaFleur knows this. They did, however, lose a key pass rusher in Za'Darius Smith this offseason after he was released and signed with the Packers rivals in the Minnesota Vikings.
There appears to be some bad blood between Smith and the Packers, as the EDGE rusher opened up about his decision to sign with the Vikings. Smith admitted he was unhappy with the Packers' treatment of him as he recovered from his back injury, and that he signed with the Vikings so that he could play the Packers twice a season now. Talk about a vendetta.
LaFleur would eventually catch wind of Smith's comments, and didn't seem particularly rattled by them. LaFleur said that he respects Smith, but believes he has a different perspective on the situation than Smith does.
Matt LaFleur says he has a lot of respect for Za’Darius Smith, but adds on Smith’s comments about being mistreated here after his 2021 back injury…
“I think we may have a different perspective on how things transpired.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 7, 2022
This will certainly add to the allure of the Packers/Vikings rivalry this upcoming season. Smith turned himself into a really solid player with the Packers, and they missed his presence on defense dearly last season. Now they will have to hope letting him walk this offseason doesn't come back to bite them.
Smith's comments are certainly eye-opening, and it will be interesting to see how he plays against his old team considering his feelings towards them, which he has made known today. LaFleur doesn't seem to be too bothered by Smith's comments right now and is confident in his version of how things really played out. But if Smith helps the Vikings beat the Packers in their Week 1 contest, Matt LaFleur may be wondering whether the organization made a mistake in its handling of the Smith situation.
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