As his eyes welled up with tears after the Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs, Harrison Smith looked very much like somebody who might be ready to hang up the cleats for good.
Not quite.
Though his emotions in that moment might’ve suggested otherwise, Smith explained on Monday afternoon at TCO Performance Center that he was actually pretty sure at the time that he was going to delay retirement once more and return to the Vikings.
“I think it was something I probably struggled less with than the year prior,” Smith said. “I kind of had a feeling when it ended, like, ‘This probably isn’t the last time I’ll put on pads.”
The sadness that Smith was feeling after the Vikings lost to the Rams had less to do with his own personal journey in the NFL and more to do with the unbreakable bond he had built with so many players in the locker room.
It was as close of a team as he has been a part of in his career, so as he stood there alongside Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus in the immediate aftermath, he allowed himself to mourn the loss in real time.
“You’re never going to get that group of guys together again,” Smith said. “I didn’t want to take away from that at the time. Not necessarily enjoy it because it wasn’t enjoyable. Just wanted to have some level of appreciation for it.”
Ultimately, the decision to return to the Vikings became official last month when the 36-year-old safety agreed to a new deal that will pay him $10.25 million with incentives that could bring his total up $14 million.
Why did he decide to come back? Well, aside from having a good relationship with both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores, and wanting to continue to work closely with them, Smith contemplated his future by asking himself a few questions.
“It wasn’t much more than, ‘Do I feel good enough to play? Do I think I can contribute at a high level? Does the team still want me?’” Smith said. “Those were all things I came to an answer pretty quick on.”
It also helped that Smith saw a clear pathway to the Vikings being competitive as he continues to chase that elusive Super Bowl. He made that determination before the Vikings went out and spent in the upwards of $300 million in free agency to add talent on both sides of the ball.
“It looks pretty outstanding on paper,” Smith said. “We’ve done ourselves some favors to have a chance here.”
As he conversation continued about him deciding to come back for Year 14, it was only a matter of time before somebody asked the question.
What about Year 15?
“We got a lot to do this year,” Smith said with a laugh. “That’s all I care about.”
Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) during warmups before the start of a NFL football game against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept., 22, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
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