The tone from veteran safety Harrison Smith felt a little bit different this time around.
After the Vikings bowed out of the playoffs with a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night at State Farm Stadium, Smith held court in the locker room after the game, gracefully answering a number of questions about the possibility of retirement.
Asked to reflect on how he was feeling in that moment, Smith tried his best to deflect with humor, joking that he doesn’t usually let himself go to that place in his brain while on camera.
As much as he tried to fight it, Smith couldn’t help himself as the memories came flooding back. He paused for nearly 10 seconds as his eyes started to well up with tears. He took a deep breath and highlighted how much safety Josh Metellus and safety Cam Bynum mean to him.
“I felt like I’ve been a mentor of sorts seeing them grow into really special players,” Smith said. “It’s been a pleasure to be around them.”
Though it’s still unclear if Smith, 35, will actually hang up the cleats for good, his emotions, and the fact that he couldn’t hide them, spoke for themselves. He’s clearly thinking about it, maybe more than he ever has in his career.
“It could always be the last time,” Smith said. “It’s the reality of the NFL.”
If this is it for Harrison Smith, his legacy with the Vikings will live forever.
After being selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Smith has slowly become synonymous with the Vikings over the past decade, putting together a résumé worthy of a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If that’s still a debate, it shouldn’t be. Not when Smith was among the best players of his generation at the position.
He garnered the nickname “Hitman” early in his career because of his physicality in the open field. That followed him every step of the way as Smith went on to rack up 1,126 tackles, 20 1/2 sacks, and 37 interceptions across 192 games with the Vikings.
As impactful as he was on the field in his own right, the impact that Smith made on his teammates is how he will truly be remembered.
“He changed my life,” Metellus said. “I wouldn’t be the player I am today without his leadership.”
Those sentiments are echoed by pretty much every player on the roster.
“The best thing that’s ever happened in my career,” Bynum said. “Just being able to come here and play alongside him.”
The mentorship that Smith provided has typically manifested itself silently behind the scenes.
Though he’s more than willing to offer advice to anybody who needs it, as an older player, Smith much prefers to lead by example, showing young players how to properly go about their business with his actions rather than his words.
“His process meant a lot to me,” Bynum said. “Just seeing the way he approached the game helped me grow more than any questions that I could’ve asked.”
Truthfully, there will never be another player like Smith, which is why it’s so hard to picture the Vikings without him. Not that he’s required to stick around. He’s earned the right to sail off into the sunset if that’s what he chooses to do.
“If he’s on to the next chapter of his life, I’m wishing him well,” Metellus said. “He’s still going be a part of mine.”
He’s also always going to be a part of the Vikings.
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