Vikings Honoring Two Retiring Legends, Still Awaiting Harrison Smith News

This week, the Vikings will honor two retiring legends who meant a lot to the franchise over the last decade and change. Perhaps notable — or perhaps not — is that their longtime teammate, who wears No. 22 and plays the safety position, won't be alongside them.

Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham, who both hung up the cleats after the 2025 season, will speak to reporters about their careers and their retirement at TCO Performance Center in Eagan on Thursday afternoon, the team announced. Harrison Smith won't be there. The Vikings are still awaiting a decision from the potential future Hall of Famer on whether or not he plans on playing a 15th season in the National Football League.

Smith was recently processed as a post-June 1 release by the Vikings, spreading his dead cap hit over two seasons. However, that was simply a procedural move. The team has made it clear that it would welcome Smith back if he decides he wants to give it one more go. Presumably, there will be clarity on that front no later than the NFL draft next month — and perhaps much sooner than that.

Speculatively, it does seem like Smith is at least somewhat seriously considering playing a 15th season with the Vikings, even after being honored in the final game of last season. If he had made his mind up about retiring, he could've announced it by now. And maybe he would be scheduled to sit next to Thielen and Ham this week in Eagan (or maybe he would — and still could — get his own separate retirement presser).

Harrison Smith and Kevin O'Connell | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

On paper, the Vikings' addition of quarterback Kyler Murray has the team poised to be more competitive in 2026 than it was last season. Can Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores convince Smith to run it back one last time and take aim at a playoff run?

Not only were Ham and Thielen key pieces of the Vikings over the last decade-plus, they're both native Minnesotans and rare underdog stories as former undrafted free agents. Ham, a Duluth native, joined the Vikings as a UDFA out of Augustana in 2016. He carved out a ten-year career with the Vikings at the fullback position, making two Pro Bowls. Ham scored the eighth touchdown of his career in his final NFL game to wrap up the 2025-26 season.

Thielen, who hails from Detroit Lakes, attended Minnesota State and famously joined the Vikings in 2013 as a rookie tryout player. He worked his way up from special teams to being a two-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the top five in Vikings history in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

One thing that differentiates Thielen from Smith and Ham is that he didn't spend his entire career in Minnesota. He was released after the 2022 season and spent the next two years with the Panthers. He was then traded back to the Vikings prior to last season, but requested his release late in a lost season and landed with the Steelers, allowing him to experience playoff football for the fifth time.

A celebratory retirement presser may not be the setting for it, but it'll be interesting to see if Thielen is asked about his second departure from Minnesota this week. Thursday's press conference is set for 3 p.m. central time.