Are We Sure This Should Still Be Harrison Smith’s Farewell Tour?
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
The way Minnesota Vikings fans talked about Harrison Smith was almost the way they’d talk about Ragnar (We do not recognize the usurper Viktor the Viking in this house). He’d be like a Roman standard the Vikings could trot out during a transitional year, before the future Hall-of-Famer transitioned into retirement, handing the keys of the defense to fellow safeties Josh Metellus, Cam Bynum, and Theo Jackson.
While Smith is technically signed for the 2026 season, the feeling when he restructured his contract and took a pay cut to stay in Minnesota was that it might be his last go-round in the NFL. And if he does, well-deserved. The 13-year veteran has six Pro Bowl appearances and was named an All-Pro in 2017. The Vikings could forget waiting for him to retire and put him in the Ring of Honor before Week 5’s game, and no one in Minnesota would complain.
That feeling, however, was based off Smith’s drop-off in effectiveness over the past two years. Nothing too dramatic or unexpected from an NFL player in their mid-30s, but we’ve seen a steady decline that meant he was no longer HARRISON SMITH. PFF’s yearly grades bear this out:
2019 (age 31): 88.4 (4th among 167 safeties)
2020 (age 32): 74.3 (17th of 173)
2021 (age 33): 77.9 (16th of 176)
2022 (age 34): 68.4 (59th of 166)
2023 (age 35): 68.9 (43rd of 174)
Again, we were never talking about a bad player. But in 2023, Smith was less effective than Bynum and Metellus. The year prior, both Metellus and Jackson out-classed Smith. In 2021, his grade was just surpassed by Bynum. You have to go back to 2020 to find the last time Smith checked out as Minnesota’s top safety, and the Vikings have loaded at the position for at least the past two years. So, maybe it was time for Smith to ride off into the sunset.
But now? Smith may still yet retire, but if he does, it sure won’t be because of his performance.
Through three games, the Vikings faithful has witnessed the return of Peak Harrison Smith, who looks every bit the part of a future Hall of Famer. Smith has been all over the field to start the season, earning 12 solo tackles, a quarterback pressure, a batted ball at the line of scrimmage, a pass breakup, and an interception. He’s been targeted five times in coverage and allowed two catches for 30 yards and the INT, leading to a QB rating of just 20.8.
Harrison Smith grabs his 35th career INT for the @Vikings!
📺: #MINvsNYG on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ot14OmYRGq— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
Don’t look now, but all that adds up to a PFF grade of 83.9, which puts him back in the NFL’s top-10 safeties (eighth, to be exact). His Vikings are 3-o for just the second time in his career, and they’re now an up-and-coming team that is going to have tons of cap space with which to get even better in 2026.
“It’s still early, but there’s teams that you’re on and you’re like ‘We got a little something here,'” Smith told the media, recounting a sideline conversation with Justin Jefferson during Week 3’s 34-7 curb-stomping of the Houston Texans. “I’m certainly aware of it.”
It’s all coming together for Smith right now. He’s in the right defense on a surprise contender and is once again playing as effectively as he did in his prime. With the team’s bright future — and the fact that Smith still, presumably, is hungry to give the Vikings their first Super Bowl, is it time we stopped considering this season his farewell tour? Maybe, maybe not, but if he does choose to hang it up, he’ll do so leaving Vikings fans wanting an encore.
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