Vikings anticipate signing Smith ‘soon’

Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman anticipates signing Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith to a contract extension “pretty soon.”

Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman indicated the team is close to signing Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith to a contract extension.

Smith isn’t scheduled to be a free agent in 2016, as the Vikings picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but signing him long-term would assure his presence in Minnesota for years to come.

Smith is scheduled to earn $5.278 million in 2016 and the top-10 earning safeties, based on average salary per year, are earning more than that, so it might not be a cap-saving move to sign him soon.

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