Rick Spielman Opened Up about His Strategic Deceit with a Star Viking
Rick Spielman, the Vikings’ GM prior to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, was responsible for bringing Harrison Smith to Minnesota.
In a short clip on YouTube (one that was released a couple years back), Spielman clarifies how the Vikings played their cards close to their chest. In fact, it sounds as though every effort was made to ensure that the rest of the NFL didn’t know how much the Vikings wanted the Notre Dame safety. Doing so helped with the effort to pluck him out of the late-1st in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Rick Spielman’s Deceit when Adding Harrison Smith
Begin with what Rick Spielman had to say. There was some discussion at the Senior Bowl between team and player before radio silence took effect.
Per the former GM, the Vikings “did not talk to Harrison Smith until the day [Spielman] called him and said [Minnesota] just drafted [Smith].” The follow-up question wanted to clarify if that was an intentional approach. Spielman’s thoughts: “That was intentional. We did not meet with him at the Combine. We did not go to his pro day. We did not bring him in on a top 30 visit. We did not talk to him before the draft.”
“We knew we were going to have to move up to get him,” Spielman goes on to clarify, “cause we felt that strongly about him and how he would fit in our scheme. And so we ended up moving up, picking him in the 1st Round. And when I called Harrison Smith, and actually talked to him, I don’t think he expected us. I think he was under the impression that we didn’t like him at all after the Senior Bowl cause we never said another word to him until we ended up trading up and going to get him.”
If your memory is a bit fuzzy, have no fear. The trade details are pretty straightforward. The Vikings — clearly enamoured with The Hitman — shipped No. 35 (a 2nd) and No. 98 (a 4th) to Baltimore in exchange for the late 1st that was used on Smith: the No. 29 pick.
Lately, a lot of the news surrounding the Vikings has rested on who the team has been flirting with before the 2025 NFL Draft. Visits are taking place and news is emerging about who is getting the chance to meet with Minnesota’s top decision makers.
The curveball is simply that, at times, what a team doesn’t do can be as revealing as what a team does do. Clearly, Minnesota was concerned that tipping their hand about their interest in the star safety could result in a team drafting him before they had the chance. To counteract that possibility, Spielman’s Vikings swore off any public interest in Mr. Smith.
Rick Spielman wasn’t perfect, but he absolutely crushed it when opting for Harrison Smith back in 2012. The safety is still with the Vikings, preparing for his fourteenth NFL season.
Along the way, Smith has distinguished himself as being among the preeminent defenders of his generation. He has been a first-team All Pro and a second-team All Pro. He has been to a half dozen Pro Bowls. In 2017, Smith finished in 4th for Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Across his 192 career games, Smith has plucked 37 interceptions out of the sky. Even more impressive is that he can partner that ball-hawking ability with his 20.5 career sacks, 43 career QB hits, and 48 career tackles for a loss. Whether deep or at the line of scrimmage, Smith can make a game-changing play.
Now 36, Smith is operating on a single-season deal that’s coming in at $10,250,000.
If the deceit even played a small role in bringing Smith to Minnesota, then Spielman’s effort was well worth it. The Vikings are still reaping the benefits of that decision to snag the safety so many years ago.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference 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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.