Minnesota Vikings Legend Makes HOF Finals

This weekend may be the final game of Harrison Smith’s NFL career. The legendary Minnesota Vikings safety is now 36 years old, and has logged a whopping 206 regular season games.

Should Smith ride off into the sunset this spring, it’s still unclear whether or not his path post-retirement eventually leads to Canton, OH and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Some HOF’s need multiple opportunities before they hear their name called. Other deserving candidates never make do. In fact, one such MN Vikings legend — DT Kevin Williams — is in a similar spot to where Harry the Hitman could find himself five or six years from now.

Kevin Williams a HOF finalist for MN Vikings

After being controversially selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, Williams spent 11 of his 13 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

For a time in the mid-2000’s, he and Pat Williams created the “Williams Wall”, which is one of the best interior DL duos in franchise history. Now 20 years later (2026), Williams is a first time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The finalists for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame: pic.twitter.com/YAFxhMCH1p

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 30, 2025

The 45-year-old Williams retired after the 2015 season. Over the course of his legendary career, he played in 203 games, earning five All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl appearances. Over the course of his career, Williams put together quite the stat sheet for a defensive lineman.

Not only did he record 63 sacks and 113 tackles for loss, but he also caught five interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), forced nine fumbles and recovered 13 more (he also returned two of those for scores). of them with two being returned for touchdowns.

Related: Longtime MN Viking Goes Off on Kevin O’Connell via X

To be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame a player must reach the 80% vote threshold. The 15 finalists will ultimately be whittled down to seven, before the official 2026 class is unveiled in February as part of the NFL Honors celebration.

Truthfully it’s unlikely that Williams sees enshrinement in his first cycle, and it will undoubtedly be a battle for him to get in at all.