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Harrison Smith has been playing in a Minnesota Vikings uniform for more than a decade, and following the team’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January, some wondered if we had just watched the All-Pro safety appear in his final game with the purple and gold.
Smith still has one year left on his current contract with the Vikings, and while there hasn’t been any official announcement or report about him returning for a 14th season in the NFL or not, some comments made by KSTP’s Darren Wolfson during a recent appearance on SKOR North’s “Minnesota Sports with Mackey & Judd” show should increase the optimism about the veteran defender putting off retirement for at least one more year.
“[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.
…I continue to think there isn’t a downside to [Minnesota] bringing back Harrison Smith.”
Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith still playing at a high level
As Wolfson stated, it really does just make a bunch of sense for Smith to return to the Vikings for the 2025 season.
He can still make a good amount of money, Brian Flores will be returning for a third year as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, and Smith is still able to play at a very high level.
In 2024, Smith’s PFF defensive grade was the highest among all Vikings safeties, and it also ranked 35th out of 98 qualifying safeties around the NFL. In addition, he finished fourth on Minnesota’s defense in tackles, second in interceptions, and second in pass breakups last season.
So, on the football side of things, it really does make plenty of sense for Smith to suit up for the Vikings again this year. It’s just up to the 36-year-old safety to decide if he wants to go through the grind of another NFL season again or if he wants to begin his life after football instead.