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Vikings Update on Harrison Smith’s Mysterious Health Condition
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- Vikings Update on Harrison Smith’s Mysterious Health Condition
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
This season the Minnesota Vikings are going to have a new starter on the back end of their secondary. While both Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus are returning , Cam Bynum jumped ship and signed with the Indianapolis Colts .
Enter Theo Jackson . He was prioritized early-on this offseason , and he'll operate as a traditional safety next to Smith. The hope is that Smith, now in his 14th year, will be ready to go and remain healthy throughout the whole season.
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
He has been absent from practice for weeks, and Smith is running out of days to get ready for a Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears .
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Harrison Smith working way back for MN Vikings
There have been virtually no details offered by the Minnesota Vikings on the status of Harrison Smith. He is dealing with an illness, but has now been out of action for 17 days. There are 11 more days until meeting Chicago at Soldier Field for Monday Night Football .
Sources say Harrison Smith, who last practiced Aug. 11, is recovering from a personal health issue and is expected to make a full recovery. The Vikings haven't put him on IR, and he was named a 2025 captain. Will be evaluated weekly. Vikings open the season in 11 days at Bears.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 28, 2025
On Tuesday the Vikings set their 53-man roster . Both C.J. Ham and Tyler Batty were placed on injured reserve . Harrison Smith was not.
That would seem to suggest that Minnesota believes Smith will be ready to roll. Smith has not missed substantial time in a single-season since playing just eight games in 2013. Last year, at 35 years old, Smith was in 16-of-17 Vikings games.
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There may have been some thought that Smith could be contemplating retirement. He has done this for a long time, and isn't getting any younger. It would be seemingly disingenuous for Minnesota to classify things as an "illness" if that was anywhere near a possibility.
MN Vikings need Harrison Smith
With Cam Bynum having gone elsewhere, Smith becomes all that much more important on defense. Of course he's the elder statesman, but Theo Jackson is also stepping in. The fourth-year former sixth-round pick will draw the first starts of his career.
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Related: Minnesota Vikings 2025 Final 53-Man Roster
Smith has 192 games (191 starts) under his belt. He'll be looking to add onto the 20.5 career sacks, and 37 total interceptions. From the moment he leaves the field, he'll waltz in the Vikings ring of honor and eventually to Canton as well.
If this is going to be the final ride for Smith, going out on top would hardly be a bad way to end it.
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