It is a rarity across the contemporary sporting landscape when a player spends his entire career with a single franchise, especially when that athlete’s tenure spans nearly a decade and a half, but such will be the story of Minnesota Vikings star safety Harrison Smith should he retire at the end of the 2025 season.
Smith is a 14-year NFL veteran with six Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections to his name. He has played in 206 regular season games for Minnesota, starting 202 of those contests. But at 36 years old, and with a birthday coming up in February, the end could be fast-approaching for the franchise stalwart.
Unfortunately, his professional tenure could finish on something of a bitter note. Not only are the Vikings (8-8) already eliminated from playoff contention, even despite a four-game winning streak heading into Week 18, but the NFL just dinged Smith with a massive fine for what it described as an illegal hit to the head/neck area of New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 16.
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The league Office of Gameday Accountability levied a fine of $17,389 against Smith on Saturday for the hit in question, which took place in the first quarter of the Vikings-Giants contest on December 21. The NFL typically announces player fines on the Saturday following the game in question, though Minnesota has already played its Week 16 contest, which came on Christmas Day (December 25) after a short week.
It was also on Christmas that Smith spoke to reporters during a postgame press conference and addressed the possibility of his retirement following the team’s final outing of the year, which will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis against the Green Bay Packers on either January 3 or 4. The contest is part of the league’s flex schedule for the final weekend of the season and is not yet set in stone with regards to date or time.
“I can’t speak on that right now,” Smith said of his retirement. “I’m a very much in-the-moment type of guy. So I’m gonna enjoy this with the guys I’ve gone to work with, and enjoy my family and the holidays, and that’ll handle itself when it does.”
Should Smith retire this offseason, he will have at least a realistic chance of earning entrance into the pro football Hall of Fame given his career resumé and longevity. No NFL player is eligible for that honor until five years after their retirement.
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