Saturday evening brought big news: Vikings legend Harrison Smith, who never officially announced his retirement, is coming back for a 15th season with the franchise that drafted him in the first round back in 2012.
The fan reaction to that news has been almost entirely positive. Smith is an all-time great who has played at a high level across several different eras of Vikings football. About a month into this season, he'll pass Carl Eller and Fred ****** to move into third on the franchise's games played leaderboard, trailing only Jim Marshall and Mick Tingelhoff. He's an obvious Ring of Honor lock with a real chance to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And Smith's return isn't just about legacy. With his experience and instincts and communication abilities in Brian Flores' check-heavy defense, Smith is a big addition to the Vikings' roster right now, even at 37 years old. He can clearly still play, as we saw in his dominant performance against the Lions last Christmas Day.
Amidst the excitement, there have been a few Vikings fans who have pushed back. Their specific complaints have to do with the contract the team gave Smith for his 15th season. It's a one-year, $12.25 million deal that has incentives up to $16.25 million if Minnesota wins the Super Bowl. For some, that price tag is too steep for a 37-year-old safety.
There were enough of those tweets that a former longtime teammate of Smith's took notice. Anthony Barr, a first-round pick two years after Smith who played alongside him for nine seasons, took to X/Twitter to put those fans on blast late on Saturday night after a couple posts about his UCLA Bruins' Week 1 win over Cal.
#smith #season #first #years
The fan reaction to that news has been almost entirely positive. Smith is an all-time great who has played at a high level across several different eras of Vikings football. About a month into this season, he'll pass Carl Eller and Fred ****** to move into third on the franchise's games played leaderboard, trailing only Jim Marshall and Mick Tingelhoff. He's an obvious Ring of Honor lock with a real chance to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And Smith's return isn't just about legacy. With his experience and instincts and communication abilities in Brian Flores' check-heavy defense, Smith is a big addition to the Vikings' roster right now, even at 37 years old. He can clearly still play, as we saw in his dominant performance against the Lions last Christmas Day.
Amidst the excitement, there have been a few Vikings fans who have pushed back. Their specific complaints have to do with the contract the team gave Smith for his 15th season. It's a one-year, $12.25 million deal that has incentives up to $16.25 million if Minnesota wins the Super Bowl. For some, that price tag is too steep for a 37-year-old safety.
There were enough of those tweets that a former longtime teammate of Smith's took notice. Anthony Barr, a first-round pick two years after Smith who played alongside him for nine seasons, took to X/Twitter to put those fans on blast late on Saturday night after a couple posts about his UCLA Bruins' Week 1 win over Cal.
#smith #season #first #years
6 hours ago
