The Harrison Smith Cut Decision is Going to Arrive this Week … Probably
K. Joudry
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On March 6th, 2023, the Minnesota Vikings officially said goodbye to linebacker Eric Kendricks. On March 10th, 2023, the Minnesota Vikings officially said goodbye to receiver Adam Thielen.
See where this is going?
Harrison Smith, 35, is moving into a season where he’s scheduled to carry a cap hit a bit beyond $19.2 million. Simply cutting the veteran safety would liberate close to $11.4 million, precious cap space that could be used for any number of players. The issue, of course, is simply that The Hitman is still a very good player, someone who fills a vital role in the Brian Flores defense. Moving on isn’t a straightforward, easy decision.
The Harrison Smith Decision Will Arrive This Week (Probably)
The speculation and opinion have been plentiful.
Not too long ago, Ben Leber suggested that Smith could head to Texas to reunite with Mike Zimmer. Josh Frey largely affirms that perspective, making a similar argument on PurplePTSD. And then Dustin Baker ventures into the Smith chatter by discussing the defender as being among the team’s foremost cut candidates.
No doubt, there are arguments in favor of keeping or cutting Mr. Smith.
Given the broader context of the Vikings’ roster, Smith’s price tag is too high. If there was no need for a new Justin Jefferson deal, a Kirk Cousins resolution, a Danielle Hunter extension, and then some funds to patch up a variety of holes elsewhere, then paying the defender could be justifiable.
Even worse for Smith’s chance of sticking around is that the roster has built-in replacements.
Josh Metellus is only 26 and is just getting into the opening season of his 2-year, $8 million extension. Camryn Bynum is only 25 and is moving into the final season of his rookie contract. Theo Jackson (25) has returned, Jay Ward (23) will be a sophomore, and some still have hope that Lewis Cine (24) can develop into a difference maker.
And yet Smith is a franchise legend and team captain. Even more compelling is that the guy can still play.
In 2023, Brian Flores used Smith in a much more compelling way than Ed Donatell. Mercifully, the new DC asked the safety to shift all over the field. Smith picked up 390 snaps in the box, 346 as a free safety, 185 along the defensive line, 151 in the slot, and 39 out wide.
Even more exciting was that Smith got sent on an eye-popping 83 blitzes; even the Mike Zimmer era didn’t involve the safety getting sent so often. The increased aggression led to a trio of sacks (all in the memorable Panthers game) and then 6 QB hits.
If the team is going to move on, then a cut is going to happen this week. Doing so will give the veteran an on-ramp to get onto the free agency highway. If, however, there’s an ongoing desire for the partnership to continue, then we’re still likely to hear of the news this week. Getting the Smith contract squared away will mean more cap space to reel-in more free agent fish.
A pay cut won’t be a surprising outcome.
The veteran defender started all 17 games last season. He picked up 93 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 QB hits, 2 TFLs, 3 FFs, and 3 PDs. Notably, Smith played a career high 1,113 snaps. He turned 35 on February 2nd.
The Minnesota Vikings have already begun getting their finances tidied up. The first move was to cut running back Alexander Mattison, a decision the team officially announced yesterday. The Vikings now have more than $37 million in cap space.
Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.