Harrison Smith says coming back for a 14th season was an easy decision

For Harrison Smith, choosing to come back for a 14th season with the Vikings in 2025 was actually easier than last year's decision to return for a 13th season.

"I think it was one I probably struggled less with than the year prior," Smith said on Monday. "Just as far as how the season went, as a team, as a defense, and then individually, how I feel physically. How much drive I still have left with the game, with preparation, with playing on game day, being part of a team. There was some thought a bunch of different ways, but I kinda had a feeling when the season ended, I was like 'this is probably not the last time I'll put on pads.'"

Smith, the Vikings' longest-tenured player and a possible future Hall of Famer, has been making career decisions on a year-to-year basis for a few years now. At 36, he knows the time for him to step away from the game isn't far away. But that time hasn't come yet. He still feels like he can play at a high level, and he still loves coming to work every day and chasing after the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl with the franchise that drafted him all the way back in 2012.

"It wasn't much more than 'Do I think I can play? Do I think I can contribute at a high level? Does the team still want me? Is it still fun?'" Smith said. "For the organization, what are chasing? How realistic is that? Those were all things I came to an answer pretty quick on."

The film and the numbers indicate that Smith remains a productive part of the Vikings' defense at this point in his career. He started 16 games in the regular season last year and recorded 87 tackles, ten passes defended, three interceptions, and a sack. His leadership and presence in the locker room are also valuable assets that can't be quantified. From the Vikings' perspective, there was no question that they wanted him back for another year.

It wasn't a very difficult decision for Smith, either. He wanted to run it back for another year, and he's never wanted to play anywhere other than Minnesota. So the two sides came together and worked out a restructured one-year contract, which was announced in mid-March.

On and off the field, things came to a rocky end for the former Vikings regime of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman, who were with Smith for most of his career. But the veteran safety has been rejuvenated by this new era of Vikings football, led by Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He's now going into year four with that duo and year three with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose no-nonsense leadership resonates with Smith and whose endlessly complex schemes makes things fun for a player who has seen it all in the NFL.

"Starting with KO, coming in and establishing a culture of winning and always trying to find an edge in whatever department, not just scheme, but how you go about the day-to-day operations, how you build the chemistry of a team to start with," Smith said. "There's a foundation that's been set."

The goal this year is to go even further. The Vikings have won a bunch of regular season games in two of the three years of O'Connell's tenure, but they're 0-2 in the postseason, when it matters most. Smith knows they need to turn up the intensity another level to get to where they want to go.

He thinks their goals are within reach. He probably wouldn't have come back if that wasn't the case. Smith loves what the Vikings did this offseason, including bringing back Byron Murphy Jr. and adding defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. "On paper, it looks pretty outstanding," he said of Minnesota's defense. While it was bittersweet for him to see Camryn Bynum get a nice contract from the Colts in free agency, Smith is very excited about Theo Jackson, who he said is "always making plays."

The grind of building up towards a potential playoff run begins with this spring's offseason program, which got underway on Monday. Smith wants to work and enjoy it and take things one day at a time — and then, when the season comes to an end, he'll have his annual decision to make.

"I'm not focused on anything but today and (year) 14," Smith said. "We got a lot to do this year, so that's all I care about."

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