'The Skol was big': Za'Darius Smith excited for revenge game against Vikings

The man has a terrific smile. He really does...

NFL Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Long live the memories of Za'Darius Smith in purple and gold. He was a fierce pass rusher for the Vikings in 2022, but he only stayed for one season of the three-year, $42 million deal he signed to come to Minnesota after spending the previous three seasons in Green Bay.

Smith, 32, was traded to the Detroit Lions earlier this week and he seems intent on inflicting as much pain as he possible can — with a smile on his face — on his former NFC North colleagues in Green May and Minnesota. He'll get the chance when the Lions play the Packers and Vikings in Weeks 14 and 18, respectively.

“When I got the phone call and they told me I was coming here, I had that in the back of my mind that I get to come back to the North and basically play these guys again,” Smith told reporters Friday. “But all is well, I actually love those teams too, the cheeseheads, great fan base and going to the Vikings with the Skol was big too. But now I’m in the right place, so you already know what time it is. I get to face them twice so I can’t wait and it's going to be big.”

#Lions’ Za'Darius Smith to Detroit: “What up Doe” pic.twitter.com/NdDcaOKOzH

— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) November 8, 2024

Smith's future in Minnesota was up in the air after the 2022 season due to his large contract and what was then a very strained salary cap situation for the Vikings. The mystery about his future in 2023 disappeared almost as soon as he put his home in the Twin Cities up for sale.

The 3,846-square-foot home in Eagan was listed at $795,000 and wound up selling six weeks later for $750,000. The house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a three-car attached garage on 0.47 acres. Not too shabby for a spot so close to the Vikings' TCO Performance Center headquarters, also in Eagan.

Smith home actually sold before the Vikings traded him that May to the Browns along with a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.