Inside The Vikings

Report: Harrison Smith Takes Restructured Deal to Stay With Vikings

Smith, the team's longest-tenured player, will be back for a 12th season in Minnesota.
Will Ragatz|
Report: Harrison Smith Takes Restructured Deal to Stay With Vikings
Report: Harrison Smith Takes Restructured Deal to Stay With Vikings

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Minnesota Vikings

Harrison Smith and the Vikings have agreed to a restructured deal that will keep Smith in Minnesota for a 12th season in 2023, according to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling. His cap hit was set to be $19.1 million in the second year of a four-year, $64 million extension he signed prior to the 2021 season.

Instead, he gets $8 million with $2 million in incentives this season, per Ian Rapaport. It's a notable pay cut for Smith — a team-friendly deal that will allow him to remain with the Vikings.

Smith, the Vikings' longest-tenured player, will play at least one more season with the franchise that drafted him 29th overall out of Notre Dame in 2012. Even at 34 years old, his versatile skill set should be a good fit in a new defensive scheme under coordinator Brian Flores.

With 158 regular season games started for the Vikings, Smith ranks first in franchise history among safeties and is tied for 12th overall. If he plays at least 14 games in 2023, he'll pass Scott Studwell, Fran Tarkenton, and Kevin Williams to move into eighth place on the Vikings' all-time games started leaderboard.

Smith's 34 career interceptions are tied for the most among active players, alongside former teammate and new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson. Those 34 picks place Smith fifth in Vikings history, three behind Joey Browner for fourth. Smith is the Vikings' all-time leader in pick-sixes (4) and passes defended (83), although the latter stat has only been tracked since 1999.

In addition to his coverage ability, Smith has 16.5 sacks and 43 total tackles for loss in his 11-year Vikings career. He was rarely used as a blitzer last season, but that's something he'll likely be asked to do more of under Flores. In general, Smith's role should be much more varied under Flores after he primarily lined up as a deep half-field safety in Ed Donatell's defense.

One of the greatest Vikings of the 21st century, Smith is a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2017. In 2023, the future Vikings Ring of Honor member will look to help the team's defense bounce back from a poor season and add to his Pro Football Hall of Fame resume.

The hitman is back.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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