Za’Darius Smith Joins Long List of Purple Packer Turncoats
Dustin Baker
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Brett Favre is the ultimate example of a Packer-turned-Viking, but he took a detour to the New York Jets before effectuating his purple fate. And on Tuesday, EDGE rusher Za’Darius Smith joined a long list of purple Packer turncoats, becoming a Viking immediately after playing in Green Bay.
Indeed, veteran players bounce around, so Smith joining the Vikings isn’t a first-of-its-kind development. The blow seems to soften when a player becomes a Viking or Packer years after playing for the rival team.
For some reason, though, the list of Packers players who signed with the Vikings as their next franchise is longer than some would expect.
While the list is longer for Packers players who, at some point played for the Vikings, these are the men who became Vikings right after departing Green Bay:
- Desmond Bishop
- Robert Ferguson
- Greg Jennings
- Ryan Longwell
- Darren Sharper
- Za’Darius Smith
- Jan Stenerud
Smith opted for a role on the Vikings defense at a time when the organization is amid foundational change. Former general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer were terminated in January, paving the way for new leadership personalities in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell.
The two men have big shoes to fill as, under Zimmer and Spielman from 2014 to 2021, the Vikings were the league’s 10th-best franchise per wins and losses. Because the 2020 and 2021 seasons were so disappointing, there’s a temptation derived from recency to proclaim the Zimmer-Spielman era as a rotten affair. But that is false. The Vikings were a Top 10 franchise, per winning percentage, with the twosome in charge, and it isn’t debatable.
So, to improve from 10th-best — as should be the goal — the new brand of leadership has invited former Packers along for the ride. Smith will cost about $14 million per season, instantly pairing with Danielle Hunter to formulate one of the best EDGE rushing tandems in the NFL.
Some onlookers of the Packers were irked by the Smith-to-Minnesota fodder, evidenced Monday by tweets during Smith’s recruiting visit with the Vikings.
The Vikings advertised the free-agent visit on social media — probably with a good indication Smith would not leave without a contract — and a section of Packers fans reacted adversely.
On the whole, when the Vikings and Packers meet for the first time in 2022, Green Bay will be without wideout Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Za’Darius Smith, who will seek to disturb Aaron Rodgers, a notorious Viking killer.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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