I am a HUGE Harrison Smith fan & have the greatest respect for him (on & off the field). However, when will he make a decision on the coming year? OR when will the Vikings take charge of this situation, and (respectfully) give him a deadline date to let them know if he's returning this season? It seems that the DRAFT, or the OTAs, would have been a logical deadline date. As a leader & future Viking H.O.F., I think Harry needs to allow the ENTIRE Vikings team & organization to be able to plan & prepare for the coming season. They cannot all be held hostage waiting for one player to let them know his intentions. IF he truly is undecided at this late juncture, maybe then it is time to retire. OUCH! I'd hate losing HIM.
— Dan in Florida
The Vikings defense has made leaps and bounds under Brian Flores' tutelage! How is our defense seeming to fair without the steady on-field leadership of "The Hitman" Harrison Smith? What player will be viewed as the new "veteran leader" now that The Hitman's reign is over?
Will it be Joshua Metellus stepping up and taking the lead? Over the past few seasons Metellus has made a dominating presence on defense! Always seeming to pop up in essential spots, making meaningful plays for our Vikings.
Finally, on offense, do you feel that the acquisition of Kyler Murray will help slow down opposing defenses by lengthening drives, on offense? Giving our defense time to earn some R&R?
Bleeding Purple,
— Bryan H.
I'm combining these two questions since they both relate to No. 22. After missing some time during training camp because of an illness last year, Smith elevated his game down the stretch to help Minnesota close 2025 with five consecutive wins.
Smith's era does not have a formal declaration in either direction (return for a 15th NFL season or retirement) yet.
O'Connell was asked Thursday if there was any update, and he didn't sound in a hurry.
"I think Harrison Smith is going to want to play football until he's old and gray, which the last time I checked had not happened yet," O'Connell said. "I think it is probably a deeper conversation than just the want to at this point. And those conversations will take place, obviously respectfully for Harrison throughout the summer and where he's at. And then as we get into training camp, where he is at, it could be an ongoing thing, how our season goes and how he views it and ultimately what that looks like. But he's earned the respect of everybody in this building to have that type of dialogue and communication."
Factors that would impact a decision could still be developing.
In the meantime, Metellus, Theo Jackson and Jay Ward have been working together a good bit when the first-team defense has utilized a three-safety set during open practices. Metellus offers vocal leadership and has garnered significant levels of respect from teammates, having been selected as a four-time captain so far, including the end of 2022 when he was elevated after O'Neill's season-ending injury.
Murray's shown some ability to improvise and make off-schedule plays, which can be so critical to extending drives.
Whoever and however the 2026 Vikings approach things, the team needs to get better at its average time per offensive possession (2:40 ranked 29th in the NFL in 2025), plays per drive (5.46 ranked 30th), yards per drive (25.7 ranked 28th) and points per drive (1.82 ranked 27th) to have better team results and keep the defense fresher.