Report: Vikings restructure Harrison Smith's contract to create cap space
The Vikings have created $6 million in cap space by restructuring safety Harrison Smith's contract, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
Yates says Smith's cap number in 2022 will drop from $13.4 million to $7.5 million. According to Over The Cap, Smith's cap number will explode to $19.2 million in 2023 and 2024, and then $22 million in 2025, which is the final year of the lucrative extension he signed in 2021.
Creating the cap space allows the Vikings to be cap-compliant with new signees, including former Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who carries a $3.8 million cap hit in 2022.
Over The Cap shows the Vikings with just over $2.4 million remaining in cap space, though that number is likely to change if other highly paid veterans restructure, are traded or released.
Smith turned 33 on Feb. 2 and is entering his 11th season in the NFL.