Why does Za’Darius Smith want revenge on the Green Bay Packers?
Whether there is another side to this story or not, the one thing that’s certain is somebody is going to pay when the Vikings and Packers meet on Sunday.
With the new NFL season now upon us, it would seem there are some who only have revenge in mind as opposed to burying the hatchet and moving on.
Za’Darius Smith looks for revenge against Packers
As reports recently confirmed, former Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith signed a three-year deal with long-time rivals the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason. What the reports didn’t say at the time, however, is that Smith’s decision was most definitely related to a personal vendetta. This is curious of course, because that’s not normally the case when you see players moving one team to their actual rival. Indeed, business is business when it comes to elite professional sports, but rest assured there is more to come in this one.
How did Za’Darius Smith get here?
Fans will remember, that Smith was drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, but where he really made his name was in Green Bay with the Packers. Indeed, it was after joining them back in 2018, that the Alabama native’s numbers started to reflect just how threatening he really was, as he registered 13.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 sacks in 2020 on his way to two Pro Bowl bids and All-Pro honors. That of course brought us to 2021, where Smith sustained a very unfortunate back injury in the offseason.
Following the injury, Smith would go on to play just one game - the season opener against the New Orleans Saints - before taking the decision to undergo surgery. It would be the postseason before we’d see him again and with that, he was released in March of this year. A somewhat abrupt end to an otherwise promising career with the franchise. This of course brings us to the present. Having just joined the Vikings, Smith has made it crystal clear that he intends to make the Packers pay for how they treated him.
What did Za’Darius Smith have to say about the Packers?
Speaking in a recent interview, the Vikings’ new signing didn’t hold back, as he explained how upset he was about his time with the Packers and more over that his move to the Vikings was specifically about getting a chance to have revenge.
“Walking past me not saying nothing. ‘Z, how’s your back doing?’ - there was none of that,” 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 f---ing 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.” What’s interesting, is that the opportunity to serve that traditionally cold dish won’t take long to come. This very Sunday, the Vikings will commence their NFL Regular Season against - you guessed it - the Green Bay Packers. Adding further fuel to the fire, is the fact that Smith will be delivering the pregame speech. That being said, we’re pretty sure that it’s not his words that Aaron Rodgers and Co. will be worried about when game time rolls around.