I want to start by saying I wish Za’Darius Smith nothing but the worst tonight. I’d never wish bodily harm on someone, but if he’d, say, trip over the sideline on the way out for pregame warmups and decide that’s a bad sign, sitting this game out as a result, I wouldn’t complain. I am fearful of the Za’Darius Smith revenge game and hope it does not come to pass.

That out of the way, let me remind you what a run Z had in Green Bay before his acrimonious departure.

The crown jewel of Brian Gutekunst’s 2019 free agent spending spree, Za’Darius started out on a hot streak, logging six sacks in his first six games and 8.5 in his first nine. He cooled off a bit in the second half of the season before exploding with 3.5 sacks against the Vikings in Week 16. He wrapped his first season with 13.5 sacks, making the Pro Bowl as a result.

That sack total is a solid enough season by any measure, but it doesn’t tell the full story of how dominant he was during his first season with the Packers. Smith’s 105 total pressures (as charted by Pro Football Focus) led all edge rushers that year. Nick Bosa was the only other edge to break 100, and Danielle Hunter was the only other with at least 90. It was truly a season of relentless pressure for Za’Darius Smith, giving him plenty to talk about in his then-still-charming joint press conferences with Preston Smith.

Za’Darius wasn’t quite as good in 2020, but he was still a huge part of the Packers’ defense. He ranked just 11th in total pressures, but still converted quite a few to sacks, piling up another 12.5 for a two-season total of 26.

Of course, you know the story of how things fell apart from there. The COVID-19 cap crunch resulted in some hurt feelings over a non-voluntary contract restructuring, and then there was the “didn’t get voted to be a captain” issue, the subsequent “I’m going to make my own captain’s patch” decision, followed by bickering over the severity of a back injury, back surgery, and basically everything that happened during the 2021 season. Had the Packers not been involved in an active and protracted feud with Aaron Rodgers at the time, it might have been the biggest story in the NFL.

But that shouldn’t overshadow the good times. Za’Darius’s 26 sacks between the 2019 and 2020 seasons are the fourth-best total I can find in Packers history, even dating back to the era of unofficially charted sacks now enumerated by Pro Football Reference. Only Tim Harris (a truly absurd 33 between 1988-89), the historically underrated Aaron Kampman (31 across 2006-07), and Reggie White (27 at ages 36 and 37 from 1997-98) managed more across two seasons.

Yes, the ending wasn’t great. Yes, Smith signed with the Vikings in part for the chance to terrorize the Packers for a season. Yes, he’s back in the NFC North with the Lions as they try to make a march for their first Super Bowl ever. All of that is annoying, but it’s all a part of sports. The good times with Z were still good, no matter what comes after.

I still wish him nothing but the worst tonight, though.