Vikings Insider Hints at Possible Return of Legendary Safety

It’s officially NFL Combine week, which means teams, insiders and draft prospects are all hanging out in Indianapolis to kick off the start of the NFL offseason. While there, the Minnesota Vikings will evaluate prospects, and try to get a better understanding of what other teams are trying to do with their offseason.

NFL free agency will kick off on March 12, and the Vikings have dozens of contributing players from 2024 set to hit the market. Guys like Sam Darnold, Byron Murphy Jr., Cam Bynum and Aaron Jones are just among a few of those who are preparing for free agency in a couple weeks.

Beyond those whose contracts are up, the Minnesota Vikings are also waiting on retirement decisions for a couple of key pieces, most notably legendary safety, Harrison Smith.

Minnesota Vikings insider hints at Harrison Smith return

Some people thought last season might be Harrison Smith’s last, especially now that he’s 36. Drafted 29th overall in 2012, Smith has spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Vikings, cementing himself as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

However, Vikings insider Alec Lewis (The Athletic) joined Paul Allen on KFAN today and mentioned that he wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison Smith comes back for another season — 19:30 mark below.

“The date when they have to make that decision on managing his contract is probably the date when they know. But I’ll just tell you, from what I’ve heard, I really wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison is back playing another year.”

Paul Allen and Alec Lewis (92noon)

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Lewis sounded pretty confident that Harrison Smith will be back, but nothing is official just yet. Smith just wrapped up his 13th season, and he’s still going strong. He started 16 games, racked up 87 tackles, added a sack, and picked off three passes, showing he’s still got some left in the tank.

Why Smith’s current contract matters for timing

Smith still has one year left on his contract, which he signed before last season—a two-year, $10 million deal that required him to take a significant pay cut to stay with the team. Lewis also mentioned that, if Smith decides to retire, the team might have to wait until June to officially release him.

“The way [Harrison Smith’s] contract is structured is very interesting, and I know people have talked about it, but this gets into the nitty-gritty. It’s almost set up to where, if they were to cut him, it would probably be best for the team to do it as a post-June cut. So, the team would have to know his plans are, to then deciding how they want to operate from a cut perspective, so [a decision will come] probably around that.”

Paul Allen and Alec Lewis (92noon)

This move would allow them to spread out the salary cap penalty (dead money) over multiple years instead of taking the full hit in one season. Smith is a Vikings legend, and there’s a good chance he’ll end up in the Hall of Fame one day. It’d be tough to see him walk away, but if he does, he’ll retire as one of the all-time greats.