The Minnesota Vikings have ended the 2025 NFL season riding a five-game win streak to finish 9-8 after beating the Green Bay Packers 16-3 on Jan. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Moreover, quarterback J.J. McCarthy played one more game to end the campaign.
McCarthy went 14-for-23 on his pass attempts for 182 passing yards, but more importantly, the second-season quarterback showed a promising connection with Justin Jefferson, who recorded eight receptions for 101 receiving yards.
Furthermore, Jordan Mason also had a big performance, registering 94 rushing yards on 14 carries while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Nonetheless, the story toward the end of the game was safety Harrison Smith, who potentially played his last contest for Minnesota.
After the game, Smith reflected on what could be his appearance in a Vikings uniform.
“A lot of appreciation,” Smith said after the game to CBS Sports. “A lot of thanks to everyone who has helped me since I was young, growing all the way up. So it’s pretty overwhelming.”
Moreover, it appears that Smith is close to deciding whether to retire or give it one more season with Minnesota.
“I mean, I’m definitely leaning one way, but I’m not one to never say never,” Smith added. “So we’ll see.”
Harrison Smith Reflects on Playing for the Vikings
If this is the end for Smith with the Vikings, he didn’t hold back on what it has meant for him to play for one team after being drafted by Minnesota in 2012 out of Notre Dame.
“The amount of relationships, players, coaches, people in the community, the gift of staying healthy that long and being able to be out here,” Smith said. “I don’t take that for granted at all and play at a high level. But really, the relationships and the stage to play such a complex game, mentally, physically, it taxes you in a lot of ways. More than just physically, emotionally, ups, downs. It’s a phenomenal game.”
Kevin O’Connell Talks Harrison Smith
While there will be plenty of time to decide on his future, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke on the Dec. 30 edition of “X’s and O’s with Kevin O’Connell” and shared his thoughts on Smith and what he has learned from the veteran since he began coaching him in 2022.
“He’s taught me a lot,” O’Connell said. “We have some really awesome conversations every Friday morning, and very rarely is it about football, but he’s smart. He’s incredibly thoughtful in his approach to not only football, but life, and he takes that serious in regards to his leadership role on this team.
“He’s got his own personal way of his touch points with players and people in this building. If every organization could have a Harrison Smith, they’d be doing pretty well. I’m just so fortunate to have had this time with him and hope to have a little bit more as well.”
It will be interesting to see if this emotional send-off is indeed a sign that Smith wants to ride into the sunset, knowing that he left playing football at a high level rather than the game moving on from him.
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