This has been a tough week for Minnesota Vikings Fans with the release of two long-time fan favorites Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks who was quickly picked up by the Los Angeles Chargers. The salary cap was the reason for releasing both of them and Harrison Smith almost met the same fate but agreed to a huge pay cut to stay with the team.

When you hear stories like this it makes you proud to be a fan of a player with this kind of integrity. Of course, nobody but Smith understands his decision to want to stay with the team but obviously, money was not a motivator which is pretty refreshing.

According to ESPN.com "Smith was due to receive $15.3 million in cash for 2023 and count $19.1 million against the salary cap, figures that put Smith's spot on the team in jeopardy." At 34 years old the Vikings organization did give him permission to look for an opportunity with another team but ultimately he decided to take a drastic pay cut in a 1-year deal.

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Harrison Smith "The Hitman" obviously holds Minnesota as a special place with the above Instagram story, Prince would be proud. Harrisons will be returning for a 12th season with the team and accepted a pay cut of just under 50% at about $8 million for the 2023 season.

To the average person, 8 million dollars a year is outer space amount of money, but for an NFL veteran like him that is a tough cut to take, but it shows how much he loves to play the game and has shown his loyalty to the Minnesota Vikings. This was a heartbreaking season for Vikings fans, but with a few key players staying on the team and some good trades maybe the Vikings will be on the road to getting that elusive Lombardi Trophy after all.

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