Not done yet: Harrison Smith isn't prepared to say this will be his last season
The 35-year-old safety might be nearing the end of his career, but his passion for the game remains strong and Brian Flores' arrival a year ago reinvigorated the six-time Pro Bowl selection.
(Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings)
Harrison Smith will begin his 13th, and what many expect to be final, NFL season on Sunday as his Minnesota Vikings face the New York Giants. The 35-year-old has spent his entire career with the Vikings and admits he has contemplated retirement “more than just,” heading into this year.
But that doesn’t mean he’s set to declare 2024 will be his farewell tour.
“I’m just playing football,” Smith said when asked if this will be it, or if he planned to wait and see.
There were many who thought Smith might have appeared in his final NFL game last Jan. 7, when the Vikings lost their regular-season finale to the Detroit Lions. Even Smith didn’t sound certain at the time, but as free agency approached, he reached out to his agent and agreed to take a pay cut for the second consecutive year in order to return to the Vikings.
Why come back?
Smith already has received plenty of accolades since general manager Rick Spielman made a draft-night trade with Baltimore in 2012 to get back into the first round and take the Notre Dame standout with the 29th pick.
Smith has started 175 of the 176 games in which he’s played — the lone non-start came when he played in only eight games in his second season — and his 34 interceptions are fifth in franchise history, trailing Joey Browner by three. Smith has been named to the Pro Bowl six times, was voted first-team All-Pro in 2017 and second team in 2018. He is a lock to go into the Vikings Ring of Honor and could be headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
Smith’s motivation for continuing becomes clear as he talks about the coming season, the Vikings’ defense and the sport he plays: He loves it. Once he calls it quits, there will be no going back. No more game days, no more locker room camaraderie and no more chasing a Super Bowl.
I asked Smith if his pregame routine this season would include trying to soak things in a bit more than usual. His response conveyed his love for the game.
“I’ve kind of always soaked it in, so I won’t say I’ll really approach it differently, if this is my last year or not,” he said. “I’ve always thought it was really awesome to play in every stadium I’ve had the opportunity to. Green Bay is obviously a rival, but it’s a historic place and it’s always a special stadium to play in. I just enjoy all of the aspects of it. Some guys don’t like going to London. I think it’s cool, I’ve always thought it was cool. Does it present some challenges? Sure.”
The Vikings’ decision to hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator after the 2022 season, provided Smith with a late-career resurgence. Flores teaches what could be considered a defensive version of trigonometry and Smith’s understanding of the game makes him a Rhodes Scholar of the secondary.
“I’ve played in a lot different schemes, and seen a lot of different things, and this is a type of defense I really enjoy playing and trying to be successful in,” said Smith, who started his Vikings career playing for Leslie Frazier, spent eight seasons playing for Mike Zimmer and is now going into his third season with Kevin O’Connell.
“There’s a little bit more that is at our disposal on the field and that’s the way (Flores) built it. Also, the trust he has in us as players to do the right things and make the right decisions. Maybe there’s not always a black-and-white answer, you’ve got to find the right answer in the moment. That adds pressure and stress, but I would prefer that and I think that gives us our best chance.”
The advantage that Smith, and his returning teammates on defense, will have is the fact they are entering their second season playing under Flores. There undoubtedly will be tweaks to the system as the coordinator tries to keep opposing offenses off balance, but many of the principles will remain in place.
“I feel like we have maybe a deeper understanding of what we’re trying to get done with certain calls and looks and things like that,” Smith said. “Probably just a better understanding from the outset of what we’re looking to get done schematically and just physically, fundamentally. Where last year, at the beginning of the year, the first couple of games, there were some things that … until it’s real you don’t feel it quite the same. Not that we have (all of) the same guys, and it’s a totally different year, but there’s some carryover and I think that will help.”