The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of roster questions to answer this offseason, and whether or not they will have All-Pro safety Harrison Smith for 2025 is a significant one. Before Smith can make his decision, he has some bookkeeping to do.
Smith was one of 13 players fined during the Wild Card Playoff.
He received a fine of $45,020 for “impermissible use of helmet” on tight end Tyler Higbee during the Vikings’ 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Smith’s fine was identical to that of Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams. Williams received a fine for impermissible use of helmet during his team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Playoff.
They were two of 13 total fines levied by the league against players during Wild Card weekend.
Smith has earned $96.4 million in his career, per Over The Cap. The fine – while not his first of this type – is not as detrimental as it might otherwise be.
Harrison Smith Offers Emotional Reaction to Season
Smith completed his 13th NFL season, all spent with the Vikings. He will turn 36 years old in February. He has not said whether or not he will return for year 14. Smith did get emotional reflecting on his time, specifically, with fellow safeties Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus.
Bynum and Metellus praised Smith, who also pointed to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for helping him get through the day-to-day grind of an NFL season.
The veteran safety joked about preferring not to get so emotional like he was on camera.
“44 [Metellus] is a special guy. 24 [Bynum], 44, [I] felt like I had been a mentor of sorts. Seen them grow into really, really special players, great people. So it’s been a pleasure to be around,” Smith told reporters on January 14 about Bynum and Metellus.
“When you’ve played as long as I have, you don’t feel great every day. But playing – especially this year, in this defense – was some of the most fun I’ve had, and that starts with Flo.”
Smith was still a valuable player, but he has flirted with retirement before.
He also played the season on a one-year, $9 million deal. With so many other roster spots needing to be addressed this offseason – including at safety where Bynum is also a free agent – it is also unclear where the Vikings stand.
But head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings have spoken fondly about what Smith brings to the team both on the field and in the locker room.
Fines Add Up for Harrison Smith, Vikings Teammates
According to Spotrac, Smith’s was one of nine fines levied by the league against Vikings players during the 2024 season.
It was the largest among the group and the only fine Smith drew this season.
He was joined by teammates Byron Murphy ($11,255 for taunting in Week 16), Jerry Tillery ($15,167 for hit on a defenseless player in Week 13), and Cam Akers ($6,544 for impermissible use of the helmet in Week 10).
Akers’ was one of three fines levied against Vikings players in Week 10. Blake Cashman was fined $11,255 for a facemask.
Cam Robinson received an identical fine as Cashman, but the former’s was for a late hit.
The Vikings only had three other fines during the rest of the season. Two of them came in Week 8. Aaron Jones received an $11,817 penalty for a low block while Ivan Pace was docked $5,120 for a facemask.
The only other fine a Vikings player received was Jihad Ward. He was penalized $9,667 for a late hit in Week 2.
Vikings players received $127,000 of the $12.6 million total fines through the Wild Card.
