NFL rivalries between teams and players, while not as intense and fierce as they once were, still certainly exist, but for some, the idea of revenge on a former team means much more than most, and that was made clear by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Za'Darius Smith today. Smith, who played in Green Bay for the previous three seasons signed a deal with the Vikings this off-season, and today admitted that a major part of the decision to sign in Minnesota was focused on the fact that it would allow him to play the Packers twice a year.
Za'Darius Smith: I'm with Vikings so I can play Packers twice a year. https://t.co/3YUxfkMCym
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 7, 2022
Smith was a Pro Bowler in both of his first two seasons with the Packers, but after sustaining a back injury that limited him to just one game in the 2021 campaign, Smith felt like he was treated very poorly by the organization and people within it during that time, ahead of his eventual release in early 2022. While this is just one side of the story, it's certainly motivated him to play the Packers twice a year, which will happen for the first time in Week 1, just days away.
Ultimately, it's hard to tell whether this is just an ego thing or whether Smith has a right to have a grievance with the franchise that helped him become an All-Pro in 2020, but one thing is for sure, and that's that this once great rivalry may be even more fiery than usual in 2022.We finally get Za'Darius Smith's side of the story on what in the hell happened last season in Green Bay, too.
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) September 7, 2022
He details everything. It's a reason he's now a Viking. https://t.co/095sIcJsH4 pic.twitter.com/q394yPR0WZ
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