Harrison Smith resides in the Vikings' secondary as one of the elders on the roster. He's seen plenty in his 13 NFL seasons, including six trips to the Pro Bowl and one first-team All-Pro nod.
Smith has also been a part of five Vikings teams to reach the playoffs. The closest he came to the Super Bowl was back in 2017, the Minneapolis Miracle season in which the Vikings pulled off an unbelievable win over the Saints before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
With his 36th birthday approaching in February, Smith knows his place as a veteran on an upstart team. In fact, he's close enough in age to his coach, Kevin O'Connell, to have forged a unique bond with the leader of the 14-3 Vikings, meeting with him weekly over coffee.
"We've always had a more of a peer relationship," Smith said recently, via The Associated Press. "He is my boss, but we're closer in age. He kind of came into the league when it was a certain way, and it's changed a little. I've definitely gotten to know more about him as a coach, a player, a person, the whole thing."
O'Connell has attracted immense amounts of attention and praise for his work as the guiding light of the Vikings, one of the most surprising stories to emerge from the 2024 season. Many will point to his work with quarterback Sam Darnold as the reason for Minnesota's success, and while it's a valid point, O'Connell's impact certainly doesn't end there.
His relationships with key veterans like Smith have also benefited the Vikings tremendously.
"He can be such a good gauge of the locker room and the pulse of the building and all those things," O'Connell said of Smith. "It's not necessarily he's telling me things that I need to know. It's just his unique ability to be around guys who are a lot younger than him, or other veteran players, and just communicate. I do feel like in a lot of ways it's a peer-to-peer type of relationship because of the respect level there, but it's been a cool part of this year getting that time with him."
Smith is still playing at a level high enough to convince O'Connell to playfully ask his safety about his future. Smith remains coy on the matter, instead choosing to focus on the present. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores certainly appreciates Smith's dedication to his craft, even in his 13th season.
"I love coaching him," Flores said. "He's allowed me to be more creative and attempt to do some things -- because they don't all work -- because of his acumen, because of his leadership, because I think he can get us into some certain things that will help us."
Flores' defense has created chaos against many opponents, properly complementing O'Connell's explosive offense. In a rare moment of synchronicity, everything seems to be working on both sides of the ball for the Vikings, save for their loss to Detroit to close the season.
As a result of that loss, they'll embark on their playoff journey on the road in Arizona, where they'll meet the Rams after the game was moved out of the Los Angeles area due to the devastating wildfires in the region.
Smith, O'Connell and the rest of the Vikings hope it won't be the final stop on their journey. Regardless of the outcome, they'll definitely cherish what they've experienced this season, in which Smith has played an important part.
"You just respect everything about how he operates, how he treats people, how he communicates," O'Connell said. "I don't know if it's being close in age or whatever it is, but I've really enjoyed the time that I get with him."
Tickets for Monday's wild-card game will go on sale at 1 p.m. ET Friday morning through Seatgeek.com for Rams season ticket members and 3 p.m. ET to the general public. More information on ticket sales will be provided as soon as possible.
