Harrison Smith Still Undecided About Playing In 2026

In a 53-man roster projection for the Vikings, Alec Lewis of the Athletic was clear Smith remains undecided about returning for another year with the season just a few weeks away. Lewis said there’s no timetable for a decision, as he believes the timeline could range from this week to multiple weeks. 

Earlier this offseason, HC Kevin O’Connell said he had a great conversation with Smith, and they’ll continue the dialogue ahead of the season opener. 

“I would just say I spoke to him recently, just like I always do, and we had a great conversation,” O’Connell said, via Eduardo Razo of Yahoo Sports. “Nothing has really changed. But there was never an expectation, at least on my end or our end. I believe that now would be the time we would really dive into that, and we’ll continue to have dialogue with him and keep you guys updated if there were to be anything come about with that.”

Smith, 37, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2012. He was entering the final year of a six-year, $56.53 million contract that included $28.578 million guaranteed and was scheduled to make a $9.85 million base salary in 2021 prior to signing a four-year, $64 million extension with the Vikings. 

Smith returned to Minnesota each of the past two years on one-year terms.  

In 2025, Smith appeared in 15 games for the Vikings and recorded 54 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one recovery, two interceptions and 10 pass deflections. 

We’ll have more on Smith as the news is available.