Harrison Smith is the Vikings' longest tenured player, heading into his 10th season with the team. The deal he received on Sunday gives him a chance to end his career in Minnesota.
The five-time Pro Bowler agreed to a contract extension with the Vikings on Sunday, the team announced. A source said the contract, worth $64 million over four years, will keep him with the team through the 2025 season. The 32-year-old Smith was scheduled to become a free agent in March, but said earlier this year he wanted to stay in Minnesota, and an extension seemed like a preseason priority for the Vikings.
Smith will receive $26.38 million guaranteed as part of the deal, a source confirmed, and is slated to make $22.5 million between now and March. He was scheduled to make $10.232 million in the final year of his current extension, which he signed before the 2016 season. His new deal will effectively begin after this season, tacking on four years to his current contract.
The full terms of the deal, and the structure of Smith's guaranteed money, will shed more light onto how much job security he'll receive as part of the new contract. But the 2012 first-round pick seems likely to be with the team for at least two or three more seasons, giving him a chance to ascend further in the Vikings' record book and put the finishing touches on a career that could have him on the way to the team's Ring of Honor.
He already ranks seventh in team history and third among safeties with 28 interceptions, and his four interception returns for touchdowns are the most in Vikings history.
Though last season was a trying year for Smith while he played behind a young group of cornerbacks, the Vikings are banking on the idea he can be effective into his mid-30s, starting this year with a secondary that could include four free-agent pickups (Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Woods) playing key roles next to Smith.
"It's always great to have a good mix of guys — young guys, vet guys, guys that have been around and played in this system or different systems," Smith said earlier this month. "You can kind of bring a lot to the table and it's been great working with everyone we have. But having some vet presences like Pat, like Breeland, like Mackensie coming back, you've kind of been through a little bit more, everybody individually around the league. Collectively, it can help."
