The Minnesota Vikings have retained two key starters from last season’s secondary, which led the NFL in interceptions, though both came at a hefty price.
Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. inked a three-year deal worth $54 million, while the team also secured six-time Pro Bowler Harrison Smith for his 14th season. Smith, now 36, needed a contract restructure by mid-March to avoid a $25 million salary cap hit in 2026. The reworked deal includes a clause that requires Minnesota to decide on Smith’s future by the third day of the 2026 league year, or else his $25 million base salary for 2027 will be fully guaranteed.
“Details of Harrison Smith’s new deal with the #Vikings: $9.901M cap number; $8M signing bonus; $2M base salary; up to $250K per-game roster bonus; $25M base salary for 2027 is fully guaranteed if Smith is on the roster the 3rd day of the [2026 league year] (similar to his last deal); up to $750K in incentives based on playing time (65%=$250K; 70%=$500K; 75%=$750K),” tweeted Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune on March 26.
Harrison Smith
Smith, who started all 16 games last season, recorded 87 tackles, three tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, three interceptions, one sack, and one fumble recovery. His experience and leadership will be key to maintaining continuity in the secondary alongside Murphy, who had a career-high six interceptions last year.
However, the Vikings did lose three starters from their secondary. Safety Camryn Bynum departed in free agency to join the Indianapolis Colts, and cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin also left. While neither Gilmore nor Griffin had signed with another team as of March 26, the fact that the Vikings allowed both to hit free agency indicates they might not return. Gilmore earned $7 million last season on a one-year deal, while Griffin made $4.55 million.
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