Vikings' seasoned safety Smith happy to be back and help out

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

EAGAN, Minn. — The offseason departure of several prominent Minnesota Vikings players made Harrison Smith have to consider leaving himself as long as he wanted to stay in the game at all. The opportunity to return for a 12th year in the NFL with the only team he's ever known far outweighed the downside of taking a pay cut. Smith was also motivated to work with a revered new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores. The 34-year-old Smith will likely play again next to third-year safety Camryn Bynum. Smith has made it a priority to mentor Bynum and 2022 first-round draft pick Lewis Cine.