As the Minnesota Vikings approach the start of OTAs, one of the big topics around the team is clear. Veteran safety Harrison Smith is technically not on the roster, after being released in March, but he has not yet announced if he will play a 15th season or not.
It's safe to assume, despite head coach Kevin O'Connell publicly saying he doesn't know anything despite communication being ongoing, the Vikings have some idea what Smith is going to do. For his part, as a potential mentee for Smith, rookie safety Jakobe Thomas may have spilled the beans at rookie minicamp.
In past years, as his playing future has become a year-to-year thing, Smith announced a decision to return before free agency started. A two-plus-month delay in his decision this time around is not a huge deal, and Minnesota will give him all the time he needs. But the time when everyone would like to know is fast approaching.
Minnesota Vikings voices set easy timeline for Harrison Smith make his decision
On a recent episode of SKOR North's "Thor Talks Purple", Thor Nystrom and Judd Zulgad offered some "modest proposals" for the Vikings. Zulgad started things off by talking about Smith.
"I know that is a waiting game, and I think the Vikings sincerely want him back. But I need an answer from Harrison Smith.
...If nothing else, because you've got safeties, and quite frankly, I don't know [if] it's fair to them to keep this thing hanging."
Nystrom asked Zulgad about putting a proverbial "shot clock" on Smith, meaning a certain date by which Minnesota should tell him they need to know his decision by, while offering some dates generally surrounding training camp.
"I'd put [the shot clock] on before [training camp]. If you want to play, [let us] know by June 1."
Nystrom offered July 4 as the deadline the Vikings could set for Smith, while noting the undisclosed health issue that kept him out of training camp last year and led to him missing the first two games of the season.
Zulgad relented to say July 1 is a deadline Minnesota can set for Smith, and the co-hosts generally landed on early July for when the team needs to know his decision one way or the other.
The Vikings have not, and will not, put any pressure on Smith to make his decision. At the same time, they'd surely like to know no later than Day 1 of training camp, and they wouldn't be wrong to seize some control of the situation by telling him that.
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