Vikings' Harrison Smith enters a pivotal season for the secondary and his contract

When the Vikings released Kyle Rudolph this spring after 10 seasons in Minnesota, it meant his former college teammate at Notre Dame succeeded him as the Vikings' longest-tenured player.

"People ask me how long I've been in the league, and I say, 'This is my 10th,' " safety Harrison Smith said. "It kind of catches me off guard sometimes because you're just always in the flow of trying to make plays and get better, and it just flies by. Sometimes it feels like I'm just a couple years in, and then other times I look around, and I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm a lot older than most of these guys,' so it's kind of back and forth."

Smith saw his streak of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances end last season, as the Vikings' secondary went through a tumultuous year that at times seemed to have the safety working to cover for inexperienced teammates in the defensive backfield.

That should change this year. Though he has been in Minnesota longer than any player on the Vikings' roster, he'll play in a secondary where one of his new teammates (Patrick Peterson) has been in the NFL a year longer than him. Another Vikings acquisition (Mackensie Alexander) started his career with four years in Minnesota, and the team replaced Anthony Harris with former Cowboys safety Xavier Woods, who has started 44 games the past three seasons.

The bet, for Smith and for the Vikings, is that added experience will prevent a repeat of a year ago, when only three teams gave up more points than Minnesota did and only two averaged more net yards per passing attempt.

When the Vikings start the season on Sept. 12, it's possible Smith will line up with four defensive backs — Woods, Peterson, Alexander and Bashaud Breeland — who weren't on the roster last year. A pivotal year, for both the safety and the team, appears to be on a different course than last season.

"We were pretty young at corner last year. A lot of good players but just young," Smith said during minicamp this month. "There's not a ton of guys like Pat out there, but having a guy like that come in at corner is big, not only his play, which is top notch, but just his presence and his knowledge, he can pass on to the young guys. Obviously safeties, corners, we're always working together, so having vets on the outside and deep and young guys, it's a good mix and we can learn a lot from each other."

The Vikings hope the return of Danielle Hunter will keep their secondary from being as exposed as it was behind a depleted pass rush in 2020. "Any fan that ever asks me about playing defense or whatever, I'm like, 'The secondary is always just about as good as the pass rush,' " Smith said.

Even though the defensive backfield could have as many new pieces as it had a year ago, Smith had a full offseason to work with many of them unlike during last year's virtual offseason.

"Working with Xavier as well, he's a really smart guy, so that makes it — I don't want to say easier — but it can make things smoother when you've got two guys back there that can stay ahead of plays," Smith said. "Just getting on the field and working through adjustments, even if it's just at a walk-through pace, is good just to communicate with each other, know how guys operate. Those guys up front are often interacting with the linebackers a little more than safeties, but you want kind of a well-oiled machine."

The Vikings have enjoyed continuity and cohesion on defense for the better part of Smith's career, dating to when they replaced Leslie Frazier with Mike Zimmer in 2014. If a return to that kind of a defense is important for Zimmer and the general manager (Rick Spielman) who traded up to draft Smith in the first round in 2012, it could also play a role in the safety's future in Minnesota.

He is entering the final year of the contract he signed back in 2016, and could play it out this year as the rare NFL veteran who works on the same unaltered deal in its entirety. But that would also make him a free agent in the spring, when Peterson, Breeland, Alexander and Woods are also scheduled to hit the open market. Smith said last week he wants to sign an extension that would keep him in Minnesota for several more years.

"I don't have a solid answer for you, but obviously I've been here going on 10 [seasons] and would love to be here in the future," Smith said. "Going to look at those things and see what we can do. That's about it right now."

He is at the point of his career when talk of legacy begins. Smith is hoping the 10th season of his career feels more like the old days, with the help of some new faces.

"Love having all the new guys, and we're building some good chemistry, whether it's in the secondary or up front," he said. "We've got a good mix of young guys and vets. I think it's got a lot of potential."