Vikings, Harrison Smith still at an impasse as KOC stays in touch
Longtime Vikings safety Harrison Smith remains undecided about his playing future, and coach Kevin O'Connell says the two sides are still talking as Minnesota weighs its safety depth.
One of the most accomplished safeties in Vikings history is still a free agent, and his future remains genuinely open. Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed Wednesday that he and Harrison Smith are still in contact, but there is no resolution — and the timing matters with rosters about to be trimmed.
Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis): Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell says he's been in contact with S Harrison Smith. No update there. Still undecided. But given S depth, it's relevant and important right now.
Smith, a first-round pick in 2012, has spent his entire 14-year career in Minnesota and become the defensive identity of multiple Vikings teams. His status took on fresh urgency after Jamal Adams suffered a season-ending torn quadriceps tendon in the preseason opener, thinning the club's safety depth and fueling speculation about a reunion. O'Connell has been measured, describing regular dialogues with Smith that have ranged across many topics and stressing that the priority right now is the players currently on the roster chasing the 53-man limit and 16 practice-squad spots.
A fifteenth season is still on the table if Smith wants it, and the Vikings have signaled they would welcome him back. But the decision is Smith's, and as O'Connell put it, the safety's situation is relevant and important given how the back end of the defense currently looks. With cutdown day approaching, the standoff is one of the more closely watched roster-bubble storylines in the NFC North.