All-Pro safety returns to Vikings on restructured deal

Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith agreed to a restructured contract to stay with the team on Thursday. 

The deal will pay $8 million with $2 million in incentives for 2023.

Smith has played for 11 seasons with the Vikings after being drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He earned six invitations to the Pro Bowl and one All-Pro spot as he played the role of strong and free safety.

The NFL's free agency period may seem like the beginning of a rebuild in Minnesota after the departure of key free agents.

In a way, those speculations would be correct.

Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks were released. Patrick Peterson and Dalvin Tomlinson found their way onto other teams. Players who played under multiple Vikings eras left without a ceremonious ending to their time in Minnesota.

But, as detailed by ESPN staff writer Kevin Seifert in October, the Vikings' situation may be more than a simple rebuild.

"After retaining the inherited core of this roster, new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah classified his approach as a 'competitive rebuild,'" wrote Seifert. "In other words, he hoped to field a viable team while also beginning the process of swapping aging veterans for younger players. 

Minnesota signed high-upside players on defense in linebacker Marcus Davenport and cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr. The two defenders are 26 and 25, respectively, and signed short-term deals.

As Minnesota's roster becomes younger, the need for a veteran anchor and a player who exemplifies the Vikings' culture may become more apparent.

As a holdover from the Leslie Frazier and Mike Zimmer eras, Smith can provide the much-needed veteran presence and show the team's next generation players how to best embody the Vikings' culture.