Tag: Za’Darius Smith

Dalvin Cook raves about Za’Darius Smith: ‘He’s a problem’

It’s better playing with Za’Darius Smith than against him

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is glad he no longer has to be on the receiving end of Za’Darius Smith blowing up the offensive backfield and making plays.

Getting the former Green Bay Packer to jump ship on a three-year, $42 million deal has been the highlight of NFL free agency for the Vikings. Now, the team gets to sit back and watch Smith terrorize other offenses instead of terrorizing them twice a year.

“Yeah, I’m glad we got 55 from the Packers. He’s a problem,” Cook told media members on Tuesday. “Teaming him up with Danielle [Hunter] is going to be something special.”

The Vikings are counting on it after the defense sputtered in the latter half of the 2021 season.

Assuming they can both stay healthy, Smith and Hunter could easily become one of the best pass-rushing duos in football with newly-hired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell overseeing things.

The two could also take some of the pressure off a Vikings secondary that allowed the fifth-most passing yards last season.

With the offense already on the verge of breaking out, a significant jump for the defense would go a long ways toward helping the team get back to the postseason.

And both Hunter and Smith will be at the center of it all.

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Sights and sounds from Vikings return for voluntary offseason workouts

It’s back to the grind!

It’s back to the grind this week with the Minnesota Vikings players and coaches returning for voluntary offseason workouts.

So much has changed for the team in the offseason, including the hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the new general manager and Kevin O’Connell as the new head coach.

You could see it in the faces of the players as they returned to the team facility for the first time in two months.

The Vikings are in win-now mode, and they’re hopeful to finally have the leadership capable of helping them turn a corner after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Za’Darius Smith getting fired up watching Danielle Hunter workouts

Za’Darius Smith summed up his excitement with just two emojis.

Minnesota Vikings two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter is still working his way back from a torn pectoral muscle that knocked him out of the latter half of the 2021 season. And his new teammate, Za’Darius Smith, can’t get enough.

The former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker is hoping to form one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league along with Hunter in 2022. He isn’t coming all the way out to Minnesota to see how his formal rivals conduct business.

No, this is all about making quarterbacks tap-dance and handing out sack lunches.

Hunter is back home in Texas right now putting in work with the “Footwork King.” Smith shared a video of his teammate undergoing movement and coordination drills.

During his introductory press conference, Smith revealed that he actually had a jersey signed by Hunter stating the two could play together one day.

“And [Danielle] was like, ‘Man, you never know, Z. We may end up on the same team,'” said Smith. “And it’s crazy that I’m saying this, but he really said that.”

Who knew Hunter was a part-time psychic, along with being one of the league’s most dangerous pass-rushers? It’ll be intriguing to see the damage he can cause with Smith in 2022.

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SKOL Search: Mock draft roundup 7.0

Two new names pop up for the Vikings this week

Free agency is going into its third wave after the first two brought us a lot of splashes. With the Vikings, they replaced Michael Pierce with Harrison Phillips and filled holes at edge rusher with Za’Darius Smith, along with making moves at cornerback by acquiring Chandon Sullivan, as well as linebacker with the Jordan Hicks signing.

The Sullivan signing came after most of these mock drafts dropped. So corner isn’t as desperate of a need as it once was. With that being said, it is still a need, as are the rest of the positions that you will see in this breakdown.

The list of players selected are mostly the same cast of characters, but we do have two debuts this week.

OLB Za’Darius Smith signs with new team after deal falls through with Ravens

Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith signed with a new team after his deal with the Ravens fell through

The Baltimore Ravens have been extremely active during 2022 free agency, striking deals with multiple impact players. One of those players was former Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, who reportedly agreed to a four-year, $35 million contract worth up to $50 million. However, Smith backed out of the deal, and has now found a new NFL home.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Smith had signed with the Minnesota Vikings for more average annual value than he would have gotten in Baltimore. His deal is worth a reported $42 million over three years, with the possibility to go up to $47 million with incentives.

Vikings Twitter explodes after Za’Darius Smith signing

The Vikings’ first major splash signing in free agency has fans hyped

Minnesota Vikings fans have been on the edge of their seats ever since it was announced that two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was in town for a visit.

The thought of Smith joining Danielle Hunter and creating one of the best one-two punch combos in the NFL had SKOL nation begging the football gods to move mountains, manifest miracles and basically, do whatever it took to ensure a deal went through.

Now, the former Green Bay Packer will be wearing purple in 2022 after agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with the Vikings. The pipe dream of a Smith and Hunter defensive combo has become a reality.

After a relatively quiet free agency, Vikings fans were ready to unleash after hearing news of the deal on Tuesday.

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Former Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith signing 3-year deal with Vikings

Za’Darius Smith, a two-time Pro Bowler for the Packers, is signing a three-year deal with the Vikings. He’ll rejoin Mike Pettine and Mike Smith in Minnesota.

Za’Darius Smith is staying in the NFC North and will have a chance to face the Green Bay Packers twice a year for the next several years.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Smith – who was released by the Packers earlier this month – is signing a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Smith, a two-time Pro Bowler for the Packers, was in Minnesota for an official visit on Monday. He agreed to terms on a new deal on Tuesday.

The Packers released Smith to save money on the salary cap. His cap number was going to be almost $28 million in 2022, and the Packers saved almost $15 million by cutting him.

Now, Smith gets his chance at revenge.

In Minnesota, Smith will team with Danielle Hunter to form one of the best edge-rushing duos in football. However, Smith missed all but one game last season after needing back surgery, and Hunter is only two years removed from missing an entire season due to neck surgery.

Smith will also rejoin former Packers assistants Mike Pettine and Mike Smith in Minnesota. The Vikings hired both to serve on Kevin O’Connell’s new staff. Mike Smith is the team’s new pass-rushing coach.

Smith was close to signing with the Baltimore Ravens but backed out of the deal. He appears to be getting more money from the Vikings.

Over the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Green Bay, Smith delivered 26 sacks and 60 quarterback hits.

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Vikings signing two-time Pro Bowl OLB Za’Darius Smith

Vikings boosting their defensive front with a former All-Pro outside linebacker

In a previous version of this post, Vikings Wire cited a now-deleted Twitter post on Za’Darius Smith’s signing. The article has been updated to reflect the difference. 

 

The Minnesota Vikings are bringing in a formal rival to add even more firepower to a defensive unit that finished with the second-most sacks in 2021. Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former Green Bay Packer, Za’Darius Smith, is reportedly signing with the Vikings on a three-year deal and staying in the NFC North.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news on Tuesday.

While the pass-rushing numbers look good for the Vikings on paper, things clearly dipped in the latter half of the season as illness, injuries and attrition all became factors in the team’s rapid defensive decline.

The thought of Smith lining up opposite of two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter is every quarterback’s worst nightmare.

Smith only appeared in one game last season after being sidelined with a nagging back injury. However, the previous two seasons when he was healthy, he was a defensive game-wrecker for opposing offenses. He posted a career-high 13.5 sacks in 2019 and added another 12.5 sacks in 2020, along with two pass deflections, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The Vikings desperately needed another playmaker that could do more than just rush the passer. Smith has shown the ability to generate turnovers consistently in ways that tilt the game in his team’s favor.

Minnesota still has work to do on the defensive side of the ball, but the unit is significantly better with Smith on the field.

Za’Darius Smith showing off red carpet treatment from Vikings visit

Vikings presenting a royal welcome for free agent outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith

Free agent outside linebacker Za’Darious Smith appears to be enjoying his time visiting the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

The two-time Pro Bowler is capturing his visit in an Instagram story, which shows off a personal welcoming committee from the Vikings, along with his picture and name on the scoreboard at TCO Stadium in Eagan.

It’s no surprise the Vikings are pulling out all of the stops considering Smith received back-to-back Pro Bowl invites before his back injury put an end to his 2021 campaign.

The possibility of having a potential game-changer on defense lining up across from Danielle Hunter would be a huge grab for Minnesota.

According to a source, via the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, the Vikings could create enough salary cap space to make Smith a “suitable offer.”

So the team obviously isn’t going through the red carpet treatment just to watch him hop on a plane ride out of Minnesota. If everything checks out, you have to think the Vikings would be in a position to make an offer.

Whether Smith accepts or not remains to be seen. He’s a player in demand with other potential suitors. But it would be quite the story to see him join the Vikings as a rival to his former team, the Green Bay Packers.

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Za’Darius Smith visiting the Vikings on Monday

A former rival and two-time Pro Bowler could be looking to join the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are in desperate need of help on the defensive side of the football. They addressed defensive tackle by replacing Michael Pierce with Harrison Phillips, and they got Eric Kendricks a running mate in linebacker Jordan Hicks. There are still two big holes to fill in cornerback and edge rusher.

When it comes to the latter, it doesn’t get any better at this point than two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Za’Darius Smith.

Smith is a really talented player that was the catalyst for the Packers’ pass rush over the previous three years.

He posted excellent pressure rates in his first two seasons in Green Bay with 93 in 2019 and 53 in 2020, per Pro Football Focus. Smith only played in one regular season game last year after suffering an injury in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.

Outside of Danielle Hunter, there isn’t any quality depth behind him. Everyone is unproven or really inconsistent. The addition of Smith would be a tremendous add to a pass rush that, while it was second in the league in sacks, was very inconsistent in rushing the passer, posting an average pass rush grade as a unit at 72.7.

Smith had agreed to a four-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens worth up to $35 million. Shortly after the agreement was announced, Smith pulled out of the contract for an unspecified reason.

That range should be about the same for the Vikings, who currently sit around $10 million in cap space after the Adam Thielen extension. This would be a move worth making for the Vikings if it makes sense financially, as the team would have two top-flight pass rushers on the roster.

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