Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers throw cold water on potential beef with Za'Darius Smith

The Green Bay Packers gave Za'Darius Smith a chance as a big-time free agent and the two parties seemingly had a successful marriage of a few seasons. Smith notched 26 sacks in two seasons for the Pack before missing basically all of 2021 with a back injury.

The injury, and how the Packers treated him as a result, was apparently a sticking point for Smith when he was released earlier this offseason due to cap reasons. In fact, his relationship with the Packers had become so strained that he recently relayed that he chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings -- Green Bay's rival in the NFC North -- in order to play the Pack twice a year.

“I played one year of high school football,” Smith told golongtd.com. “For me to be where I’m at today, that’s how you know I love the game. I put my all into it. That’s why I felt the way I did with Green Bay — I gave that s--t my all. I put my blood, sweat… I put my back on the f--king line. I put everything. And that Year 3, I was treated bad. That’s why I’m here now. So, I can play them twice a year.”

Smith clearly has a vendetta against the Packers and there's likely truth on both sides of this story. He'll use his grudge to fuel him this season whenever he sees the green and gold on the field, but for what it's worth, the Packers don't seem to be sweating it.

At the very least, head coach Matt LaFleur played it cool when asked about Smith's comments.