Harrison Smith Gets His Bag
Josh Frey
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On the heels of some bad news about Irv Smith Jr., Vikings fans got some great news about their roster’s other Smith. Harrison Smith and the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension that keeps the All-Pro safety in Minnesota through his mid-30s. The Vikings defense as a whole was quite disappointing in 2020, but Smith was not. Since the 2016 season, he has been PFF’s top-graded safety at an even 92.0. The 32-year-old anchored an extremely young secondary last season, recording a team-high five interceptions. This total also tied his career-best from the 2014 season.
The extension makes Smith the second-highest paid safety in the league, with $26.38 million of the money guaranteed. The only safety making more than Smith is Seattle’s Jamal Adams, who also recently signed a four-year extension worth $70 million.
Continuity is extremely important for any NFL team, but this move to keep Harrison Hit-Man around for the next five seasons (including 2021) is massive for the secondary. The Vikings currently have four defensive backs that will see significant playing time on one-year deals. These players include cornerbacks Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackenzie Alexander as well as Smith’s fellow safety Xavier Woods.
In fact, prior to this move, the only defensive backs set to return for 2022 that have started games for the Vikings were Cam Dantzler, Kris Boyd, and Harrison Hand. Only Dantzler has started six or more games as Boyd recorded five last year and Hand filled in for one game. None of them are expected to get starting reps this year either, unless the injury bug bites the Minnesota secondary once again.
Overall, this is a move that will ensure the Vikings have competent safety play through 2025, and it cements Harrison Smith will spend the rest of his prime in Purple and Gold.