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.
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…
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 7, 2022
“I think we may have a different perspective on how things transpired.”
Aaron Rodgers also commented on the matter, though in typical Rodgers fashion, he said a lot while saying very little.
Aaron Rodgers' response to Za'Darius Smith's comments (with a big smile at the start of his answer):
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 7, 2022
"I was made aware of that and I don't wanna add any fuel to the fire. I'll just echo exactly what Matt said." https://t.co/wBqqwTjdOf
If Smith is looking to add some fuel to his fire ahead of the 2022 season, neither LaFleur nor Rodgers seems willing to play the game.
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