Out of all the big topics around the Minnesota Vikings as the offseason gets going, the future of safety Harrison Smith has fallen by the wayside a bit. Indications during the 2025 regular season finale pointed to the future Hall of Famer calling it a career, but until he speaks publicly for himself, we won't know.
One more season would put Smith into a couple of rare categories of longevity in Vikings' history, and that is likely to mean something to him.
What is safe to assume is that the Vikings know fairly well what Smith will do, and they are planning accordingly. They know if they should be seeking a veteran replacement in free agency or via trade, or if they can wait until the draft to secure Smith's successor.
When it comes down to it, depending on the available veteran options, both avenues to replace Smith for the short and/or long-term could be on the table.
Easy potential replacement for Harrison Smith is now available for Minnesota Vikings
With a new head coach and general manager in place, the Miami Dolphins are not wasting any time clearing out the mistakes of the previous regime. The dreaded 't' word is in play for next season, but the house cleaning there is necessary.
The latest development in the Dolphins' effort to clean house lands with relevance to those in charge at TCO Performance Center.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Wednesday, Miami has had trade talks with teams regarding five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Dolphins in 2018, then he was shockingly traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers just two games into his second season. Last June, he was traded back to Miami in the deal that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh.
The Dolphins hired a new head coach ahead of Fitzpatrick's second season there. Conflict with Brian Flores regarding how he was being used led to him asking to be traded, and that wish was granted quickly once the season started.
Flores' style is not for every player, and he has expressed regret about how things went with Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when he was the head coach in Miami.
Regarding his relationship with Fitzpatrick, a mending of fences seems to have taken place when Flores was the Steelers' linebackers coach in 2022, the year before he became the Vikings' defensive coordinator.
Fitzpatrick's desire to exclusively play free safety, rather than be the kind of versatile piece Flores wants in his defense, drove his trade request back in 2019. That was the spot he lined up in the most during his time with the Steelers, with some move toward more snaps in the slot and in the box over those years.
Last season, Fitzpatrick played more snaps in the slot than he did at free safety, along with 191 snaps as a box defender. While his streak of Pro Bowl selections ended at three, for what that's worth these days, he had 82 total tackles in 14 games, and he was PFF's fifth-highest graded safety.
Any defensive addition the Vikings make will come with Flores' influence and stamp of approval. If Fitzpatrick wasn't already on the list of potential replacement options for Smith, if a replacement is needed, the Dolphins publicly declaring his availability puts him firmly on that list now.