Amid ongoing personnel turnover on both sides of the ball, at least one constant will remain for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. Safety Harrison Smith agreed to restructure his contract Wednesday and will return for a 13th season with the team.
Smith, the team's longest-tenured player, watched earlier this week as quarterback Kirk Cousins and pass-rusher Danielle Hunter departed via free agency. He has contemplated retirement for the past several offseasons, and in January said that "it's hard to have the ability to play and not have a desire."
Ultimately, Smith decided to return for at least one more season in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' innovative scheme, one the Vikings have fortified this week by signing three new starters in linebackers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman.
Smith's contract originally called for him to earn $15.3 million and count $19.2 million against the salary cap, but those numbers were placeholders following a previous restructuring that paved the way for him to play in 2023. He earned $8 million last season, and Wednesday's restructuring was expected to put him at roughly the same salary.
Smith, 35, was the second of the Vikings' two first-round draft picks in 2012. He was an All-Pro in 2017 and has been named to six Pro Bowls.
His 34 interceptions since the start of his career ties him with Patrick Peterson for the highest total over that period. Smith, however, adjusted to a new role under Flores last season that had him making coverage calls on the field while also playing on the line of scrimmage more frequently than at any point in his career. He blitzed on 325 of his 992 snaps in 2023, more than double the rate in any other season of his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.
He recorded three sacks, all of which came in a Week 4 victory over the Carolina Panthers, and finished with 93 tackles.