The Harrison Smith Mystery Is Solved
Dustin Baker
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One of the lingering mysteries regarding the Minnesota Vikings offseason is solved.
Safety Harrison Smith isn’t going anywhere and will return to the club in 2023 despite persistent questions about his future. Smith turned 34 last month.
The Harrison Smith Mystery Is Solved
Smith was slated to inflict the third-largest cap hit on the team’s books in 2023, about $19.1 million — a sum considered by some as too much for an aging safety. Ergo, Vikings fans and media debated and speculated Smith’s next steps for about two months, culminating in Thursday’s announcement.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted, “The Vikings and S Harrison Smith agreed to a restructured contract for him to stay in Minnesota, and he gets $8M with $2M in incentives for 2023.”
The pay reduction to $8 million is substantial and unlike Smith’s 2022 restructuring, where money was merely moved around. He’s now one of the few ginormous Vikings names taking an honest-to-goodness paycut to remain with the franchise.
Smith has been a member of the Vikings since 2012 and is the longest-tenured player — by far — on the roster. Most fans believed Smith would “be safe” when Minnesota began roster cuts because his skillset should fit wonderfully within Brian Flores’ new defense. But the issue was price, which Smith and Minnesota’s front office have successfully mitigated.
This situation was dicey, though, as VikingsWire’s Judd Zulgad tweeted last week, “A new Scoop with Darren Wolfson to be posted today on SKOR North — Lead Vikings note was that as of noon it appeared to be trending toward Harrison Smith being released. As Doogie said, it’s very fluid and there have been ongoing talks, but the Vikings brass isn’t playing around.”
In the end, the parties found an agreement, and Smith won’t hit the open market.
Smith was the NFL’s 37th-best safety in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus, but the Vikings defense often looked uncoordinated without him. And with Lewis Cine injured for the season early in October, Minnesota would’ve been down to peanuts without Smith on the depth chart. Now, with the aforementioned Flores in charge, Smith will have free reign in the Vikings secondary, likely to be utilized as a pass rusher more frequently to align with Flores’ aggressive modus operandi.
Ultimately, the Vikings wanted Smith back, and he wants to return for a 12th season. The price tag was the snag. Other players, like Za’Darius Smith, explicitly announced exit strategies last week. A decision on that Smith should be announced within the next day.
Smith leads all NFL safeties in tackles and interceptions since turning pro in 2012 and is second in sacks via the same metric.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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