Harrison Smith’s Potential Return and Why You Should Want It
Death, taxes, and Vikings fans waiting on Harrison Smith‘s decision on playing the football season that starts in a couple months.
It feels like the thousandth time we’ve been through this song-and-dance with the beloved Harrison Smith. Still, here we are. The Vikings are awaiting an answer from Smith and whether or not he will continue his professional football career into a mind-boggling 15th season. It feels weird to say, but Harrison Smith isn’t even currently a Minnesota Viking.
Smith was released from the Vikings on March 11th with a post-June 1st designation. While he is not on the roster, he is still technically eligible to return to Minnesota.
Harrison Smith Still Fills a Void
If Harrison Smith isn’t to come back, then the Vikings have a lot to be desired in the safety room.
- Theo Jackson
- Josh Metellus
- Jay Ward
- Tavierre Thomas
- Jakobe Thomas
- Jacob Thomas
- Kahlef Hailassie
There are high hopes that Jakobe Thomas could pick up the defense quickly to be a starting safety for the Vikings. Still, that’s just a theory. Theo Jackson is “fine” at safety, but replaceable. Josh Metellus is a true rover, and was exposed last year when playing more coverage down field. Jay Ward is the only “viable” option left based on the information we have now. Tavierre Thomas is a special teamer, and Jacob Thomas and Kahlef Hailassie are practice squad bodies.
While Harrison Smith isn’t quite who he used to be, but the Vikings still need some legitimacy. It’s understandable to want the young guys to get play, but there’s only so much room to bet on it in a win-now scenario. A Smith return could also pay major dividends for a young physical safety like the aforementioned Jakobe Thomas.
When Should We Expect a Harrison Smith Return, If At All?
If Harrison Smith is to return, it will likely come much later in the offseason, or even during the season. It’s understandable to think that Smith doesn’t want to go through another training camp that he may not really even need. From the Vikings’ perspective, this could be a tad annoying, seeing as they want to know who is going to be on their roster sooner rather than later. Unless, the Vikings know something that they aren’t telling us.
Smith obviously knows the defense, and is even one of the vocal leaders of the entire operation. Harrison Smith, while not the same physically, still possesses an invaluable wealth of knowledge when it comes to being on the field in Brian Flores’ defense. The value that he holds in knowing where to be and where to lead people, can outweigh the physical abilities that have slowly been regressing in recent seasons.
We probably shouldn’t expect any major Harrison Smith news soon, and nothing on the topic outside of rumors, speculation, and people trying to dissect words during press conferences held by Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
Personally, this is coming from a place of some bias. Harrison Smith is personally my favorite NFL player of all time, but I feel all of the points remain. The Vikings still need to polish off their secondary, and in a win-now season, it makes sense for someone like Harrison Smith to return and continue to work his magic in the Twin Cities.
Whether or not you think Smith is over the hill, his on-field presence likely wouldn’t be a net-negative on the field for the Vikings in 2026.
