I want to start by saying I wish nothing but the worst for Za’Darius Smith tonight. I wouldn’t wish a physical injury on anyone, but if they, say, tripped on the sideline on the way to pregame warmups and decided that was a bad sign and therefore sat out that game, I would don’t complain. I’m afraid of Za’Darius Smith’s revenge game and hope it doesn’t come to pass.

That being said, let me remind you what a run Z had in Green Bay before his acrimonious exit.

Za’Darius, the crown jewel of Brian Gutekunst’s 2019 free-agent spending spree, began a hot streak, recording 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 finished his first season with 13.5 sacks and made it to the Pro Bowl.

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

Za’Darius wasn’t quite as good in 2020, but he was still a big part of the Packers’ defense. He ranked just 11th in total pressures, but still converted some of them into sacks and collected another 12.5, bringing his total to 26 in two seasons.

Of course, you know the story of how things fell apart from there. The COVID-19 captain crisis led to some heartache over an involuntary contract restructuring, and then there was the “I have not been elected captain” question and the subsequent “I will make my own captain patch” decision that followed from arguments about the severity of a back injury, back surgery and basically everything that happened in the 2021 season. Had the Packers not been embroiled in an active and protracted feud with Aaron Rodgers at the time, this might have been the NFL’s biggest story.

But that shouldn’t overshadow the good times. Za’Darius’ 26 sacks between the 2019 and 2020 seasons represent the fourth-best total I can find in Packers history, even predating the era of unofficial sacks now tallied by Pro Football Reference. Only Tim Harris (a truly absurd 33 between 1988 and 1989), the historically underrated Aaron Kampman (31 between 2006 and 2007) and Reggie White (27 at ages 36 and 37 between 1997 and 1998) managed more in two seasons.

Yeah, 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 march to their first-ever Super Bowl. This is all annoying, but it’s part of the sport. The good times with Z were still good, no matter what came next.

Still, I wish him nothing but the worst tonight.