Everson Griffen appears to have found that extra motivation ahead of his first game against his former team.

The newly acquired defensive end for the Detroit Lions felt slighted when his former Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer called him a “good player” while discussing the Vikings’ Week 9 matchup with the Lions this Sunday.

“Everson was a good player for us. I wish him well, just not this week,” Zimmer said when asked about Griffen’s return to Minnesota after spending the first 10 seasons of his NFL career there.

Griffen, who signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys in August before he was traded to the Lions ahead of the NFL trade deadline, took exception to Zimmer’s choice of words – or lack thereof – after having earned four Pro Bowl nods in six seasons under him.

“This is the best I’ve felt in a long time, and I got a little frustrated when I read that comment what Zimmer said, ‘Oh, Everson was a good player,'” Griffen said. “Like, Coach Zimmer just wasn’t a good coach, he was a great coach to me, so for him to call me a good player, that kind of hurts my feelings.

“On Sunday I’m really looking forward to playing the Vikings and showing them that I am a great player. I’m excited, I’m ready to execute, my mental health is strong, my physical health is strong, my mind is strong, and I’m ready to go out there and dominate. I’m ready to create, adapt and go out there and win.”

Griffen later took to Twitter to say that he expected more from Zimmer after he “gave everything for that team.” The tweet has since been deleted.

Ranking fourth in Vikings history in sacks with 74.5, Griffen opted out of his contract with Minnesota following the 2019 seasons to become a free agent in March. He signed in Dallas, where he was for the first seven weeks of this season before he was shipped to Detroit for a 2021 conditional sixth-round draft pick.

The Vikings reportedly tried to get Griffen to return on a reduced salary but got beat out by the Cowboys.

“They’re going to put some respect on my name,” said Griffen, who has 2.5 sacks through seven games so far this season. “He going to put respect on my name, that’s all I’m saying, like he just wasn’t a good coach to me, he was a great coach. He helped me improve, helped me grow. I don’t ever talk bad about people, so for him to call me a good player, all right, I got something for him on Sunday.”