Did Smith retire?
By: Jake Rajala
The Minnesota Vikings Harrison Smith has proven to be a Hall of Fame safety. After all, the player known as Hitman, has only managed to make six Pro Bowls, a second-team All-Pro, and a first-team All-Pro. He has finished with 37 ints, 48 TFLs, 20.5 sacks, and 96 pass deflections.
With that said, a fascinating question clouds over him: is Smith retired?
He is not retired. Not quite. He said that he was considering retirement last January. I’d say the combination of his interest, being 36 years old, I’d expect him to retire after this upcoming season. It is a little shocking that he doesn’t want to play for a team like the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs. They’re both teams that have a strong chance of winning it all.
Smith is playing more around the box, rather than back deep. It’s hard to blame him, as he doesn’t run a 4.4 anymore. PFF handed him a grade of 66.2, which was 65th among all safeties.
Smith wants to cement himself on the Vikings Mount Rushmore, which isn’t an easy feat. The Purple Eaters are freaks of nature. There is also Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss.
If he doesn’t get treated as one of the best defenders in Vikings history, he should go down as the best Vikings safety of all time.
Smith was a slam dunk selection. He was drafted 29th overall in 2012. He outperformed his draft pick, to say the least. Mike Zimmer nicely utilized him for many seasons.
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