Justin Jefferson said Wednesday that Smith was "welcomed back with open arms."
He added: "I love Harry. I love his energy. I love how he handles the game. He's a tremendous player, and to see his face around here gets me hyped up for game day."
Funnily, Jefferson told media members he found out the news like everyone else — on social media. The star receiver and Smith's locker room neighbor had a foresighted inkling, though. "Nobody cleaned his locker out. Everything was still in the same place. Normally they pack \[your\] stuff up, and you're out of there, so I kind of figured he would be back sooner or later."
Smith is one of four 2012 draft picks rostered in the NFL right now, along with Cowboys punter Bryan Anger, Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and Jets linebacker Demario Davis.
Smith has six Pro Bowl nods (most recently 2021) and a First-Team All-Pro on his belt. He's one of six players in the 35-interception and 20-sack fraternity. The others — Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler, Brian Dawkins, Larry Wilson and Charles Woodson — received bronze busts.
He's never cared publicly about distinguishment, though.
The gray-less 37-year-old is most focused on contributing physically and mentally to a scheme and safeties room that has a quality mixture of carryover with Joshua Metellus, Theo Jackson and Jay Ward, and new blood in rookies Jakobe Thomas and Jacob Thomas.
"Part of coming back, I want to be able to give as much as I can to the next wave," he said. "It's not just about, necessarily, me. I still need to show up, do my job, help us win games. But I'd like to be able to kind of permeate some of the things I know throughout the group."