Smith will be on the same sideline as Kirk Cousins in the fall rather than lining up opposite him on the field.
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings have chosen to sign a player who was dropped by the Green Bay Packers. After decades of jumping players from Green Bay to Minneapolis, the trend continued with former Packers edge rusher Za'Darius Smith on Tuesday.
The Packers released Smith eight days ago, cutting him last Monday to reduce the burden of the team's salary cap for 2022 by nearly $15 million. After initially agreeing to a 4-year, $35 million contract to return to the Baltimore Ravens, where he played before signing at Green Bay, Smith apparently opted to back out with good reason. Today, he has reportedly signed a three-year contract with the Vikings worth $42 million and another $5 million in potential incentives. It comes a day after the Vikings franchise lit up the marquee outside the team's training facilities for Smith's visit, posting widely about it on social media.
Smith will have a chance to reunite with former Packers defensive coach Mike Pettin and Mike Smith. Petine, who served as the Packers' defensive coordinator during the Zadarius' first two seasons at Green Bay, currently holds the title of assistant head coach at Minnesota under first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell. Former Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith left Green Bay of his own free will this offseason, adding Pass Rush specialist duties while moving to Minnesota to keep the same title.
After two stellar years in 2019 and 2020, which saw him record 13.5 and 12.5 sacks, respectively, Smith played just two games in the 2021 campaign: a season-opening loss to New Orleans and the Packers' lone playoff contest. As well as posting cryptic messages frequently on social media, he missed the rest of the season with back issues, with some posts suggesting that he was unhappy about not being voted as one of the team's defensive captains.
The move and the decision to retain fellow Vikings pass-rusher Daniel Hunter gives Minnesota a highly talented and productive pair of early lead players - provided they can stay healthy. Hunter posted back-to-back 14.5-sack seasons, which earned him Pro Bowl honors in 2018 and 2019. However, he missed the entire 2020 season following neck surgery and played just seven games in 2021, after which he suffered from a torn pectoral muscle that put him off. down for the year.
Smith's arrival in Minnesota comes as the team moves to a 3-4 base defense under new defensive coordinator Ed Donatelle, who is yet another Packers connection. Donatelle was the DC of Green Bay from 2000 to 2003 under head coach Mike Sherman.