EAGAN, Minn. — The Hitman keeps on coming for more.
Harrison Smith's still got juice in the tank, and he's returning for his 15th season in Vikings Purple after agreeing to terms on a deal with the team Saturday.
Throughout the offseason, Vikings coaches and teammates left open the idea of Smith returning.
One of those teammates was fellow safety Joshua Metellus, who spoke to media members during minicamp and said he'd "always" held out hope Smith wouldn't hang it up quite yet.
"At the end of the day, he's played a lot of football … and we've built a great relationship off the field," Metellus said this summer. "It's bigger than football, and at this point in his life and in my life, I'm just trying to be a good friend and not pressure anything for my own desires.
"I'm kind of laying low but here with big, open arms if he wants to come [back] at any time," Metellus added with a smile.
That time is now, just eight days before Minnesota opens the 2026 season by hosting rival Green Bay at 3:25 p.m. on Sept. 13.
View the best photos of Vikings safety Harrison Smith throughout his career as he announced he will return for his 15th season in 2026.
Though Smith received an extra-special "send-off" of sorts from fans during the Vikings Week 18 game (coincidentally against the Packers) at U.S. Bank Stadium last season, he consistently maintained he hadn't yet made a definitive decision on his future.
"It's special," Smith told reporters after Minnesota's win over Green Bay, referencing a final timeout taken "in honor of Harrison Smith" that allowed the warm reception. "I don't take it for granted."
He later added, "I've got some things to think about, for sure. … We'll see."
And as it turns out, The Hitman just can't stay away. What can he say? The man loves football … and everything that surrounds it.
"It's always been about the teammates. The relationships," an emotional Smith said, still wearing his full Vikings Classic uniform and shoulder pads.
"A lot of this profession is surreal," he continued. "Every game, every opportunity, there's normally something where I'm like, even though I've been doing it this long, you don't think you're actually going to be here."
Smith said the love and respect from even opposing coaches and players has felt "a little exponential the last few years" and quipped the reception mades him feel "a little old" but concurrently emphasized his gratitude.
"That means they respect how I play and how I operate," he noted. "When you talk to coaches around the league, you build relationships where you don't even know them that well, but you play against coaches and players and there's a mutual respect — and that doesn't mean the game is any less vicious toward one another. But I think that's why this game draws so much attention, because of how people play. It's about respect for the game."
Smith has certainly earned that over the 14 seasons since being drafted by Minnesota 29th overall in 2012.
He's earned six Pro Bowl nods and twice received Associated Press All-Pro honors (First Team in 2017 and Second Team in 2018).
Smith has started 203 of the 207 regular-season games he's played, totaling 1,180 tackles, 39 interceptions, 21.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss, 13 forced fumbles, 10 fumbles recovered, 106 passes defensed and four defensive touchdowns.
And now he's coming back for more.
"I think Harrison Smith is going to want to play football until he's old and gray," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell quipped this offseason. "Which, the last time I checked, had not happened yet."
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