Minnesota got a major boost just days before the season opener, with Harrison Smith returning to the Vikings on a one-year, $12.25 million deal Saturday night.
The 37-year-old safety had been out of contract since the end of last season and wasn’t rushing into a decision on his future. Instead, the six-time Pro Bowl selection is back for what will be his 15th NFL season, and he’ll once again be a key piece of Brian Flores’ defense.
Smith’s timing matters immediately. Minnesota opens against the Green Bay Packers in a huge NFC North showdown, and the veteran will be right in the middle of it. Last season, he played in 15 games and finished with 10 passes defended, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack.
He has spent his entire career with the Vikings, who took him with the No. 29 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Minnesota also added more experience on the defensive side earlier in the week, signing 13-year veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy to the practice squad on Tuesday night after he visited team headquarters.
Van Noy spent the last three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before becoming a free agent, and his practice squad status doesn’t necessarily define how the Vikings will use him. Teams can elevate two players per game to the active roster.
"We're really lucky to have a player of his caliber join us," general manager Nolan Teasley said Wednesday.
Van Noy is now with his fifth team in seven years. He has 57 sacks in 173 career regular-season games, and earlier in his career he played mostly on the inside.
His best season came in 2024, when he made his first Pro Bowl after posting a career-high 12.5 sacks. His production dropped in 2025, though, as he finished with just two sacks while the Ravens’ defense struggled.
Even so, the 35-year-old should help a Vikings pass-rush group that has limited proven depth behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. Jonathan Greenard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for salary-cap savings in April, and second-year prospect Tyler Batty suffered a season-ending knee injury in Friday’s last exhibition game.
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Harrison Smiths Vikings Return Could Hinge On One Unwanted Reality
The Vikings head into the 2026 season with a safety room that looks sturdy enough to move on without Harrison Smith, even if the veterans presence still looms over the position. Josh Metellus is positioned as the likely short-term replacement, and Minnesota has also shown a clear preference for developing younger players, which makes the path back for Smith far less straightforward than it once was.
Kevin OConnell has not completely shut the door on bringing Smith back, but the opening may be narrower than the fan base would like. For now, it appears the veterans return would depend less on sentiment and more on circumstances the Vikings would rather avoid, including injuries or other unexpected roster changes that alter the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Harrison Smith Return Raises A Bigger Vikings Question
Harrison Smith is back in the Vikings fold after a spring release, and the move says as much about Minnesotas defensive priorities as it does about the veteran safetys standing in the building. The one-year deal, reportedly worth $12.25 million with the chance to climb higher, brings back one of the franchises most trusted players at a time when the secondary is still being shaped around younger pieces.
Smiths return also keeps alive a bigger question for Minnesota: how the coaching staff balances his workload and leadership with the need to develop the safeties around him. The Vikings lost Jamal Adams to a season-ending injury, which only raised Smiths importance, and now the expectation is that hell still play a significant role rather than simply serve as an experienced presence on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Could Be Near A J.J. McCarthy Decision Fans Feared
J.J. McCarthys first stretch with the Vikings has been defined by two frustrating themes: injuries and uneven play. For a team that invested in his future, that kind of early turbulence naturally invites uncomfortable questions, especially when a backup quarterback spot can turn from developmental to disposable in a hurry. Minnesota would prefer the former, but the pressure around the position has only grown as the season has unfolded.
The trade chatter adds another layer, with the Chargers emerging as a possible destination because of the connection to Jim Harbaugh, who coached McCarthy at Michigan. Los Angeles has Justin Herbert entrenched as the starter and Trey Lance as a less experienced backup, which makes the idea of adding a quarterback with familiar coaching ties and long-term upside easy to understand. For the Vikings, the real question is whether McCarthy is still part of their own plan, or whether they are close to making a move fans did not want to see coming. [Read more 🡒]