Green Bay Was Right About Za’Darius Smith

It was just a few short months ago that many were pointing at the Green Bay Packers and laughing as Za’Darius Smith dominated for the Vikings. But, as often is the case with the Green Bay Way, the Packers are now the ones with a grin on their face.

On Thursday it was reported that Smith, despite a banner season, had asked for a release from the Vikings after the linebacker posted a thank you message on social media indicating a possible departure.

The Vikings don’t seem eager to release Smith as he had just completed the first year of a three-year $42 million deal.

So why would one of the best players on a team that just received the highest grade for player satisfaction in the NFL want to leave if the organization is invested? Perhaps it’s as simple as he is who the Packers thought he was. Some thought the Packers should’ve worked to restructure and keep Smith around but many of the Green Bay faithful, despite Smith’s ability to show a positive face with the media, grew weary of the linebacker’s locker room presence. Smith’s cut could have been simply attributed to his large cap number but said weariness was all but confirmed when no teammates made even a peep upon Smith’s departure.

The Packers front office certainly isn’t infallible, and they have a whole heck of a lot to deal with as they enter the Aaron Rodgers decision phase of their off-season, but Brian Gutekunst and the front office deserves credit for seeing the situation correctly and moving on from Z when they did. And if Rodgers decides to move on, hopefully a year from now we will be saying the same thing about him.

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