Harrison Smith already turned 36 this offseason, an ancient age for an NFL safety, especially one as habitually hard-hitting as him.
Lo and Behold — There’s a Harrison Smith Update
The beloved Viking appeared ready to contemplate retirement after the Vikings frustratingly lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Round 1 of the postseason last month, but with free agency just two weeks away, some new hints from KSTP’s Darren Wolfson indicate that Smith could return for Year No. 14 in 2025.
“Smith can still play, and I don’t think the Vikings need to break the bank to bring him back. They can figure out the money. I get it. He’s had to take pay cuts the last couple years. So, to me, there’s interest in him playing at a reasonable number. I just think it makes all sorts of sense,” Wolfson said on SKOR North airwaves late last week.
The longtime Viking did not feature a performance-related decline in 2024, and in fact, often felt vital to the defense’s back end. In theory, if Smith were holding on by threads and struggling every Sunday, few would care about his retirement decision. But that doesn’t apply, not to Smith.
Wolfson added, “I continue to think there isn’t a downside to bringing back Harrison Smith.”
Smith sounded like a man who recognized the end was near after Minnesota lost in the Wildcard Round to the Los Angeles Rams. “Appreciate the Vikings nation, everything they’ve always meant to me. Thank you,” Smith told former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, a KFAN employee.
Minnesota’s defense ranked second in the NFL per EPA/Play this season, and Smith was a consistent starter in the secondary. He was not “one of those” old defenders who played sparingly.
Smith added, “There’s a lot that goes into this. It’s not strictly players. I just want to give my thanks to everybody that makes it go. Obviously, I wish we could’ve had a better result today, but it’s a tough pill to swallow right now. It’s been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever played on in any level. There’s a lot to be said about this group, and I really just wish I had a couple more weeks with them, to be honest.”
Leber asked Smith what was next for him in the offseason, and he replied, “I don’t know. Probably chill out for a little bit, figure that out down the road.”
“I haven’t wanted to think about it, kind of selfishly live in the moment, and I’m kind of still in that moment. It’ll come when it comes,” Smith said.
For the first time, when asked about his future that night, Smith truly resembled a man near the end of his playing career. Many will hope that Wolfson has it right and that Smith will return one more time.
There’s also a de facto deadline for Smith’s decision. Minnesota basically has until March 14th to choose a path for Smith if he hasn’t retired by then.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote a couple of weeks ago, “Smith, 36, has a league minimum base salary of $1.255 million for 2025. But here’s where it gets tricky to bring him back: If he’s on the roster by the third day of the 2025 league year, his $25 million base salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed.”
“In other words, there’s a deadline for the Vikings to either restructure his contract or for the team and Smith to make a final decision about whether he’ll be back for a 14th season in Minnesota.”
NFL free agency kicks off March 10th, a Monday, with “legal tampering,” so a decision will be in order by the end of that week. Because of Minnesota’s contractual restructuring maneuvers with Smith, that $25 million base salary is on the books. And there’s just no way that he’ll play for that mammoth number. If Smith does not retire, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will presumably rework his contract for one year.
Late last month, two sources told VikingsTerritory that Smith was “50-50” about coming back one more time.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.