By this time in recent years, Harrison Smith has made a decision to return to the Minnesota Vikings. Last year's finale seemed like a farewell, but as free agency got going, the veteran safety had not made a decision public.
He is also surely aware how 15 seasons in Purple would put him in even higher standing in franchise lore in terms of seasons and games played.
When the new league year started, the Vikings made an unusual-looking move with Smith. They released him to free up a roster spot and give him more time to make a decision about his future.
A post-June 1 cut designation also means the team won't realize any salary cap relief until that point in time. By then, though, Smith is likely to have made a decision.
Smith is not going to sign with another team for the 2026 season, but it's also fair to assume it would be his final season if he does decide to play.
The Vikings may know which way he's leaning right now, but no matter what, they have to have Smith's long-term replacement on their radar in April's draft.
Minnesota Vikings offered a nice-looking long-term replacement for Harrison Smith
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski has matched teams with several currently underrated 2026 draft prospects. With Smith nearing the end of his career, one way or another, he matched an underappreciated safety with the Vikings.
"TCU's Bud Clark is the incoming class' most naturally instinctive backline defender. Over the last four seasons, the two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection accumulated 21 passes defensed and 15 interceptions.
'Clark is always around the football and it shows in his ball production,' B/R scout Daniel Harms wrote. 'He's a true ballhawk safety, who operates best as a free-flowing defender or robber where he can read the quarterback and break on throws.'"
At 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, Clark lands as undersized for a traditional safety, and that may push him into at least Day 2 of the draft. But Harms sees that physical profile as a good thing when it comes to how well he'd fit in Brian Flores' defense.
"The size he brings at 6'1", 188 pounds allows him to flex as a big nickel and man up against tight ends. He has the experience to handle many different roles for a defense.
By placing Clark in Brian Flores' exotic defensive scheme, he can be molded into a chess piece capable of making quarterbacks pay for their mistakes.
With the amount of pressure the Vikings tend to apply, Clark can capitalize and give Minnesota's offense extra possessions.
Whether as a starting safety or a flex defender deployed all over the field, Clark gives Minnesota the type of athlete it needs for Flores' scheme to evolve even further."
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com tabbed Clark as a "safety in a cornerback's body" when it comes to his coverage versatility, with Detroit Lions' safety Kerby Joseph as his player comp.
Vikings' fans may not like that exact comp, with Joseph's low hit on tight end T.J. Hockenson in 2023 causing a major knee injury. But they should like that Clark's ball skills make him worthy of that comparison.
If a safety is not the pick for the Vikings in the first round at No. 18 overall, Clark seems likely to be on the radar for a later selection as Smith's replacement/successor. An endorsement, or lack thereof, from Flores would likely drive that decision.