Vikings safety Harrison Smith met with reporters Monday in Eagan, the start of the offseason program. He knew fairly soon after the playoff loss vs. the Rams that he wanted to play a 14th season.

“I think it was one I probably struggled less with than the year prior,” Smith said. “Just as far as how the season went, as a team, as a defense, and then individually, how I feel physically. How much drive I still have left with the game, with preparation, with playing on game day, being part of a team. There was some thought a bunch of different ways, but I kinda had a feeling when the season ended, I was like ‘this is probably not the last time I’ll put on pads.'”

***Click the video box above to watch Smith’s session with reporters on Mon. Apr. 21st***

Smith had a productive 2024, starting 16 games in the regular season and recording 87 tackles, 10 passes defended, three interceptions, and a sack.

The Vikings and Smith agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal in March with incentives of up to $14 million. The deal has a $10 million base salary with per-game roster bonuses of $250K and $750K tied to snap count.

Smith has spent his entire 13-year career with the Vikings after being drafted out of Notre Dame in 2012. The standout safety is a six-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team in 2017.

In 192 career games, Smith has totaled 37 interceptions (four of which were returned for touchdowns) , 96 passes defended, 20.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles and 1,126 tackles.