EAGAN — Harrison Smith is one teammate away from becoming the Will Smith meme from the final episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The only other player on defense that shared the field with Smith when the Minnesota Vikings reached the NFC Championship in 2017 is Danielle Hunter and he was not present for voluntary workouts, reportedly due to a contract situation that could ultimately see him moved if there isn’t resolution soon. If Hunter goes, the Vikings’ All-Pro safety will be the only one left from that No. 1 defense of yesteryear.
Smith had the option this offseason of going championship chasing and putting Minnesota in his rear view mirror. With the Vikings’ cap situation, the only two options regarding the star safety were a contract renegotiation or moving on the same way they did with Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen.
He elected to remain in the Twin Cities despite a complete overhaul of the defense, which has a new defensive coordinator and projects to have at least seven new starters.
“I thought about it, for sure,” Smith said of potentially going elsewhere. “It’s human nature to think about other places. It wasn’t one thing… you definitely have to appreciate what the Wilfs have done with the Vikings and the leadership they have and the investment they have in the franchise and the community. And being a part of the community…I kind of grew up here. There’s tangible things I’ve thought about and intangible things and they all added up, I wanted to stay here.”
“It’s tough to quantify everything,” he continued. “You try to because it makes you feel good like there’s a right answer or wrong answer but you don’t always know. It felt right to stay.”
Smith’s decision started with the new DC. He preferred to take on a new challenge and play in a scheme that he hasn’t encountered during his 11 years in the NFL.
“Always been interested in his style and who he learned from and what his thinking during games is and how they have matched things over the years,” Smith said. “I’ve been in the league for a while and spent time in a couple different systems but never really this one…honestly that was a big draw in staying here is getting to learn from him.”
The 34-year-old defensive back did not go into detail about what he liked so much about Flores’ scheme but it isn’t hard to put two and two together. Flores is known as one of the most aggressive play callers in the league and Smith’s forte is playing up at the line of scrimmage. Last year he was rarely asked to play in the box or blitz, which may have limited his impact on the defense in comparison playing in a more dynamic role under Mike Zimmer.
Under Flores, Smith may have an opportunity to improve his Hall of Fame resume. Not that he included that in his reasons to stick around but the six-time Pro Bowler has more interceptions than any player at his position since he entered the league in 2012 and the second most sacks behind only Jamal Adams.
It’s not clear how many more seasons he will have to add to those numbers. Smith acknowledged that he has had thoughts about retirement.
“That creeps in and it’s not the first year I thought about it,” Smith said. “Can’t play forever and it’s a big world out there…it’s fun to think about and I try to dabble in some things here or there but I can still run alright and catch the ball pretty well.”
However long he decides to play in Minnesota, the team will be looking to him for guidance as they rebuild the defense. Out of everyone projected to start in the secondary, only Byron Murphy Jr. has more than two years in the league. Smith said he didn’t feel like he’s obligated to help younger players as much as he wants to pay it forward considering veterans helped him along the way. They’ll need all the help he can give.
But as far as being without players who have left over the past few years like Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Everson Griffen etc., Smith joked that there will be other players who take their places and said it’s just the nature of the game that people come and go.
“I’m fortunate to have played with all of the guys that I have and coaches that I have throughout my career, I don’t have any negative thoughts about it, I’m just happy that I have been able to be around those type of people and that’s the world we live in,” Smith said. “That’s not just football. Whatever your job is, you’re not going to work with your colleagues for the entirety of it. You try to learn from it and adapt and don’t just become the old guy.”
