Source: Harrison Smith takes pay cut to stay with Vikings
FILE - Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
A longtime Minnesota Vikings star appears to be coming back for at least one more year.
Once again, safety Harrison Smith has agreed to take a pay cut for the upcoming season to stay in purple in gold for a 13th season, a source confirms to KSTP Sports.
Spotrac notes that Smith was scheduled to have a base salary of nearly $14.5 million this season and be paid $15.3 million in actual cash in the penultimate year of his deal. According to a source, he’ll now make $9 million in 2024.
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Since the Vikings drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Smith has been a stalwart of Minnesota’s defense. The 34-year-old started all 17 games last season, recording 93 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 passes defended and 3 forced fumbles.
Over his career, he’s tallied 1,039 tackles, 34 interceptions, 86 passes defended, 12 forced fumbles, 19.5 sacks and 8 fumble recoveries, showing the versatility to excel both near the line of scrimmage and back in coverage, something he thrived doing under former head coach Mike Zimmer and again last season under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.