Za’Darius Smith’s disdain for the Green Bay Packers is well-documented, but he has now fully explained the reasons behind it.
Before being traded to the Detroit Lions—a move speculated after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury—Smith already had his sights set on revenge against two of his former NFC North teams.
“If I was to go to Detroit, I would like it, because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year,” Smith said in mid-October while still with the Cleveland Browns, via Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram. “So, yeah, that’ll be big.”
Smith got his first “revenge game” against the Packers in Week 14, recording a sack during the Lions’ victory. After the game, he spoke candidly with Stacey Dales of NFL Network.
“Za’Darius, you told me this week, kind of a little bit of a revenge game because you gave that franchise, for three years, your everything,” Dales said.
“Two years I gave it to them, and once I got hurt, they sent me down like I wasn’t nothing,” Smith responded. “But, I’m glad to be on the other side now. You know I had a chance to go to the Vikings and get my revenge. And I came to Detroit and got my revenge again.”
Smith was clearly thrilled with the win over Green Bay.
“I had a chance to go to the Vikings and get my revenge, and I came to Detroit and got my revenge again…” he said, though he emphasized that helping the Lions clinch a playoff spot was an even greater accomplishment.
The Root of Smith’s Hatred for the Packers
Smith’s animosity toward Green Bay seems to stem from how the team handled his back injury during his time there. In his first two seasons with the Packers, Smith recorded 26 sacks, but he missed most of the 2021 season with a back injury. After his release in March 2022, he joined the Minnesota Vikings and notched 10 sacks that season.
Tyler Dunne of Go Long recently visited Allen Park to speak with Smith, who shared additional details about his issues with the Packers’ medical staff and management.
“It wasn’t right. I gave that team my all. They lied to me about my back,” Smith said. “For a lot of fans who think I did wrong or was the mean guy in the locker room, that’s not my M.O. I’m not that type of player. I want to help my team win. But they didn’t know that story. And outside looking in, I’d be mad at me, too.”
According to Smith, the Packers’ medical staff failed to inform him about a bulging disc in his back. Being unvaccinated during the height of COVID protocols complicated the situation further when Smith sought out Dr. Robert Watkins, an orthopedic spine specialist in California.
Dr. Watkins identified the issue, which was causing nerve problems, and recommended surgery. However, Smith says the Packers fined him for every day he spent rehabbing in California.
When Smith returned about a month post-surgery, the Packers insisted on testing his surgically repaired back.
“Trying to rush me in back. When I was running, ‘What the f**k y’all doing? Why are y’all doing this?’ They gave me something to squat with,” Smith said. “I got my stuff and I went home. I left. So that’s where the confusion came from: ‘Z ain’t a team leader. He just ditched his teammates.’ But the world’s not knowing.”
Dunne’s full piece provides even more insight into Smith’s experience and frustrations.
This week, the Lions need the Packers to win as they chase the NFC’s No. 1 seed. It’s a tough position for any Lions fan to be in, but perhaps no one is rooting harder for the Packers—albeit begrudgingly—than Smith himself.
