Vikings Releasing Harrison Smith in Procedural Move as Future Remains Undecided

The Vikings are releasing veteran safety Harrison Smith.

Don't let that line fool you, though. He is being processed as a post-June 1 cut and is still in the process of deciding his future. According to multiple reports, the move is a procedural one while Smith and the team remain in dialogue about whether he wants to return for a 15th NFL season.

In the Vikings' announcement of the roster move, they said his pending release "does not indicate where Smith is at in his decision of whether to return for a 15th season in Minnesota."

So, why is this happening? Well, Smith had a $25 million base salary guarantee that was set to trigger later this week. Smith turned 37 in February, and the Vikings were not going to be on the hook for that much money for a guy who will be 38 during the 2027 season.

The Athletic's Alec Lewis and the Minnesota Star Tribune's Ben Goessling are reporting that Smith and the Vikings are in dialogue, and that the team would be open to his return in 2026.

Smith appeared in 15 games for the Vikings in 2025, tallying 54 combined tackles, including three tackles for loss, registering two interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He is the NFL's active leader with 39 career interceptions. That is fourth all-time in Vikings history, behind Paul Krause (53), Bobby Bryant (51), and Ed Sharockman (40).

While no decision has been made on his future, Smith has remained tuned into the offseason dealings of the Vikings. In an Instagram story earlier this week, Smith showed excitement for the return of linebacker Eric Wilson, writing, "Let's Gooooo!!" over an image announcing the linebacker's return. Wilson inked a three-year, $22.5 million deal on Monday after an impact season in 2025.

Is that Smith being hyped for a friend and former teammate? Or is it a sign that he's excited to play again with Wilson in 2026? We will see.

Other notable moves

The Vikings officially released veteran defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Notably, Allen was designated as a post-June 1 cut. That designation means the Vikings' dead cap hit drops from $17.3 million to $12.6 million in 2026. It also bumps up the cap savings this offseason from $6.5 million to $11.2 million, giving the Vikings immediate flexibility.

Allen and Hargrave were both big signings last offseason, designed to come in and shore up a weak Vikings defensive line. While neither necessarily disappointed, combining for over 100 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, their 3.5 sacks each didn't do much to help solve the team's lack of pressure up the middle — especially when both were set to have cap hits north of $20 million in 2026.