The Minnesota Vikings are midway through their offseason, but the team still doesn’t know whether Harrison Smith will be in their secondary for the 2026 NFL season.
Smith has yet to decide on whether he intends to play this upcoming campaign. Moreover, last season the veteran showed he still has plenty left in the tank, but the question will be whether he wants to put his body through another NFL campaign.
Amid this uncertainty, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber stated that the team needs to operate during OTAs and mandatory minicamps in the coming weeks.
“I mean, it’s nothing personal; I don’t think the team needs to be held hostage over [Smith’s] status,” Leber said during a May 4 appearance on KFAN. “They have to proceed as if he’s not going to be there, and then it’s just an extra bonus if he does show up, whenever that may be… Selfishly, he would want to come back right before the start of Week 1.
“If he’s thinking about his checkbook and his pocketbook, then he would say, ‘Yeah, I want to come back Week 1, be on the opening-day roster, veteran salary fully guaranteed.’ Now, the team might look at it and say, ‘We’ll bring you back Week 2. That way, we don’t have to guarantee your contract.’”
Minnesota Not Pressuring Harrison Smith to Make Decision
The 37-year-old earned a 68.9 overall PFF defensive grade for the 2025 season, 31st among 98 qualified safeties. Smith’s PFF coverage grade of 69.0 ranked 29th, while his run-defense grade of 61.7 ranked 78th at the position.
He recorded two interceptions on the season and broke up three passes in coverage. Furthermore, the Vikings veteran allowed an 81.0 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. He surrendered 21 receptions in coverage and also contributed 42 solo tackles in run support and open-field situations.
On April 20, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with the media and shared the latest regarding Smith.
“It’s been a few days [since I last talked to Smith], but I’ll probably bug him today,” O’Connell said. “But no, it’s something we’re still trying to give Harrison as much space as possible. And I think he’s earned that. If it’s anything at this point, it’s seeing how he’s doing, seeing how his family is, seeing how his golf game is, all of those things.”
Vikings Insider Expects Harrison Smith to Play in 2026
Even with the uncertainty, Alec Lewis, who covers the Vikings for The Athletic, believes Smith will be back, as he included the veteran safety in his projections for the safety position in 2026.
“Smith has not ruled out a return, “ Lewis wrote in his article that was published on March 30. “It doesn’t feel like a decision is imminent, either. The Vikings don’t plan to push him for a decision, knowing they need to plan for the future regardless. Smith is 37 years old. If he plays, he’ll want the chance to bring a Super Bowl to the organization he’s given his career to.”
Moreover, Lewis might be right that a decision won’t come soon. On March 30, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with the media and shared the latest regarding where the organization stands on allowing Smith to take the time he needs to decide whether he wants to play in 2026.
“He knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him,” O’Connell said (h/t Kevin Seifert of ESPN). “But we also want to be respectful and give him space to kind of continue to figure out what he wants to do.”
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