Minnesota Vikings player Harrison Smith.
Players have come and gone from the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. Harrison Smith, a veteran safety who has played for 12 years, is one player who is here to stay.
In 2024, the six-time Pro Bowler would have a $19.2 million cap hit as he entered the third year of a four-year, $64 million contract. That was prior to Smith and the Vikings reaching an agreement on a revised contract.
The crew shared “THE HITMAN” on X, the previous Twitter, on March 13. “A deal has been reached by the #Vikings and @HarriSmith22 to retain him with the team.”
“According to his agency @AthletesFirst, Harrison Smith’s new contract is for $9 million,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network stated on X on March 13. A bit more Hitman for Minnesota and some cap relief for the Vikings
The 35-year-old Smith made the third-most stops of his career with 93 last season. In addition, he recorded three forced fumbles, three sacks, and three pass deflections.
In addition, he participated in his first complete season of play in three years.
Throughout his career, Smith has struggled with injuries, missing games in six of his twelve seasons. After his remarks to close the season, there were some doubts about whether he would decide to play one more season in the NFL or retire.
Smith smirked and replied, “Whenever I retire, I’m not going to tell you,” as reported by Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune on January 8. You’ll manage to solve it. I will say this: It is difficult to be able to play and not want to play. Not trying to be foreboding or anything, but see what that brings you. My shoulder hurts right now.
This offseason, something along these lines was always anticipated. And although there was some doubt about Smith’s comeback, it is encouraging for the Vikings.
Harrison Smith is still playing for the Vikings at a high level.
According to Pro Football Focus, even though Smith had the third-lowest grade of his career, the question of whether or not he would return was never one of whether or not he could still perform at a high level.
According to Pro Football Reference, he also had the second-worst missed tackle rate. Smith did well in a number of other important advanced metrics.
Also Read: Vikings Trade Jefferson for ‘Haul of All Hauls
According to NFL Next Gen Stats on March 13, he finished in the top five in both defensive stops (tied for second) and catches above expectation (third). He also allowed the lowest completion percentage of his career.
The Vikings’ defense outperformed the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 by a slim margin, blitzing at a pace not seen since 2018.
Attacking playcalls have the potential to misplace defensive players and result in missed tackles.
Vikings Organizing Their Finances
The Vikings’ cap space will drop to just under $30 million as a result of this decision. They might continue to build depth and fill in gaps with some of it. However, they’ll probably also make an effort to remain somewhat adaptable in light of Justin Jefferson’s upcoming massive contract.
On March 12, Adam Schefter of ESPN said on “NFL Live” that Jefferson turned down a $30 million yearly deal from the Vikings.
Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, the leading candidate for the job, would have been tied with that.
On January 24, however, former Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond—who is currently with 33rd Team—projected that, following his historic career debut, the four-time Pro Bowl player would want an annual salary of $35 million to be satisfied on his next contract.
