Hitman Running It Back with Vikings?
For the past few seasons, it has been a question as to whether or not Harrison Smith will hang up his cleats. The former Golden Domer and first-round pick has been at this for 13 years.
Hitman Running It Back with Vikings?
A return in 2025 would make it Smith’s 14th NFL season, and that sort of tenure at the safety position isn’t something that typically happens.
Harrison Smith isn’t typical, though. He may not be playing at the same level he did while being named to Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams, but he’s still a leader on the Vikings’ defense and incredibly productive.
It’s a big offseason for the secondary in purple. The cornerback position is in jeopardy of being turned completely over. The safety position would lose both Smith (if he retired) and potentially Cam Bynum (a free agent). Brian Flores needs to find a significant number of alternatives to step up on his side of the ball.
Last year, Smith played 16 games for Minnesota and picked off three passes. He had zero interceptions in 2023, and his ten passes defensed were a significant step forward from the three he had in 2023 as well. Smith recorded 87 tackles, had a sack, and had three tackles for loss.
Flores deploys his safeties in different ways. Smith and Bynum operated in traditional sets for most of the season. That allowed Josh Metellus to act as a Swiss army knife. If Smith does come back, that would boost how Minnesota likely wishes to utilize Metellus again.
Smith has a $6.5 million cap number in 2025 and would play on a base salary of just over $1.2 million. He has void years on his current deal that starts in 2026, and that would put the Vikings in a better financial spot. Of course, his desire to play during the upcoming season doesn’t likely weigh Minnesota’s cap implications too heavily.
Regardless, if Minnesota finds out that their captain wants to come back again, there’s no reason he wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms.
The J.J. McCarthy Controversy Dies Hard
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.