Vikings Update on Harrison Smith’s Mysterious Health Condition

This season, the Minnesota Vikings are going to have a new starter on the back end of their secondary. While both Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus are returning, Cam Bynum jumped ship and signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Enter Theo Jackson. He was prioritized early-on this offseason, and he’s expected to operate as the starting free safety next to Smith in most of the Vikings’ defensive packages. For the past couple weeks, the bigger concern is surrounding Harry, now in his 14th year, and whether or not he will be ready to go week one in Chicago.

Since August 11, Harrison Smith has been absent from Minnesota Vikings practice due to what has been previously described a mysterious illness of some sort that reporters have been very hesitant to detail at any depth whatsoever.

Harrison Smith working way back for MN Vikings

With only 11 days remaining until the Vikings’ season opener, Smith is running out of time to get ready for Monday Night Football against the Bears. On Thursday, however, we got our first update on Harrison’s health in nearly a week.

Sources tell ESPN insider Kevin Seifert that the 2025 captain still has yet to return to Vikings practice, this time describing the 2012 1st round pick’s malady as a “personal healthy issue”. The good news, per Seifert, Smith is “expected to make a full recovery” and he isn’t on injured reserve. The bad news… we’re not totally sure when.

Sources say Harrison Smith, who last practiced Aug. 11, is recovering from a personal health issue and is expected to make a full recovery. The Vikings haven't put him on IR, and he was named a 2025 captain. Will be evaluated weekly. Vikings open the season in 11 days at Bears.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 28, 2025

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On Tuesday, the Vikings set their 53-man roster. Both C.J. Ham and Tyler Batty were placed on injured reserve. Harrison Smith was not. That would seem to suggest that Smith will be ready to roll.

Until told otherwise, that should probably be the expectation anyway. The defensive ironman has not missed substantial time since 2013. Last season, at 35, Smith played in 16-of-17 MN Vikings games.

Smith contemplated retirement for the first part of the offseason, but those thoughts are now behind him, at least for now. Any ideas that Smith is having second thoughts about calling it quits have been waved off by reporters and those inside of TCO Performance Center.

MN Vikings need Harrison Smith

With now gone, Smith becomes all that much more important to what Brian Flores wants to do on defense. Smith has 192 games (191 starts) under his belt. He’ll be looking to add onto the 20.5 career sacks, and 37 total interceptions.

Related: MN Vikings Wide Receiver Went Under the Knife

From the moment he leaves the field, Harrison Smith will waltz into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. He deserves Canton, as well, but that will be a harder hill to climb. If this is going to be the final ride for Smith, it’s all the more reason for the Vikings to make history.