Za'Darius Smith Still Seeking Revenge on Vikings After Signing with New Team

The Minnesota Vikings have used several buy-low situations in free agency to help Kevin O’Connell’s tenure as head coach. But a signing that backfired may have been Za’Darius Smith.

Smith was great for the Vikings, logging 10 sacks and making the Pro Bowl during the 2022 season. But a contract dispute after the season rubbed the edge rusher the wrong way, and he was traded to the Cleveland Browns after one season.

The 33-year-old has spent his time trying to get revenge on the teams that have done him wrong during his career, and went as far as publicly begging to be traded to the Detroit Lions so he could play his former teams (Vikings, Green Bay Packers) twice, last October. But when the money ran dry in Detroit, Smith was off to find a new way to get revenge, and he may have found it after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Za’Darius Smith Finds Clever Way to Continue NFC North Revenge Tour

According to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, Smith has agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles. The contract is a lucrative one that can be worth up to $9 million in incentives. But while Smith has always been focused on grabbing the bag throughout his career, there’s a clever way to consider his revenge tour against the NFC North division.

Smith arrived in the division when he signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers in 2019. The move from the Baltimore Ravens was a good one as Smith collected 26 sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances in his first two years in Green Bay but things got ugly when the Packers wouldn’t negotiate a contract before the 2021 season.

After not getting paid, Smith played just one regular-season game and a playoff game in 2021 as he opted to get surgery for a back injury, and he signed with the Vikings to try and stick it to his former team. One season and another contract dispute later, Smith was off to Cleveland and got his wish when he was traded to the Lions last October.

Smith played well, recording four sacks in eight games with the Lions, but the rest of his time was spent campaigning to stay in Detroit. The Lions balked at the cost of his contract and released him in March, and Smith spent the rest of the offseason trying to return and – you guessed it – a new contract.

The Lions balked at Smith’s asking price again, and Smith went and signed with the Eagles. While Philadelphia is poised to be a fellow contender in the NFC, there was also a “Black and Blue Division” tint to the move as the Eagles play the NFC North this season.

This not only gives Smith the chance to stick it to the Lions with a primetime matchup on Nov. 16, but also an Oct. 19 game against the Vikings and a Nov. 10 date against the Packers. 

Smith also gets to go head-to-head with the Chicago Bears, whom he apparently doesn’t like because he hasn’t signed with them to complete the NFC North Infinity Gauntlet. But it’s clear he won’t let old grudges die, even if he has to go outside of the division to settle them.

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