Irv Smith Jr. needs to have a good season, not only for the Minnesota Vikings but for Irv Smith Jr. He’s coming off an injury and is in a contract year. The Vikings will give him every opportunity to earn one this season after letting Tyler Conklin walk in free agency, a move that may come back to haunt them. He could earn a hefty contract after a breakout year — but will it be with the Vikings?
After a much-discussed 2021 season, one that found Smith rehabbing an injury that forced him to miss every game, he is now healthy and ready to play. That’s great news for a team with no viable backup for his position. Conklin filled in tremendously last season and earned a 3-year, $20 million contract with the New York Jets. Many fans wondered if the Vikings should have kept Conklin at that rate. He’s proven he can do the job and probably wouldn’t cost nearly as much as an extension for Smith. So, should the Vikings open up the checkbook if Smith has a fantastic year?
If Smith balls out in 2022 and helps the Vikings make a playoff run while rescuing kittens from trees and singing to the elderly every Wednesday night, the Vikings would have an easy decision, right? Maybe not. His two backups are an opposite prototype. He catches touchdowns and makes flashy plays. Ben Ellefson and Johnny Mundt block other players. The type of player the new regime is looking for at the position is evident. If Smith greatly improves in the blocking aspect of his game, the Vikings may be more willing to pay. That’s not Smith’s wheelhouse, though. I am sure he knows the difference in pay between catching 10 touchdowns a year and getting two. It’s a difficult dynamic: The better Smith plays, the greater the chance he might be wearing a different jersey next season.
Of course, the Vikings would be elated if Irv makes the Pro Bowl and has an outstanding year. That’s the whole point. But with every touchdown catch, I’m sure Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be thinking, How much is this going to cost me?
Adofo-Mensah may not need to worry at all, though. Smith is still largely unproven. He showed flashes as a rookie and in his sophomore campaign, but due to injuries, he still only has 66 catches to his name so far in his three-year career. That’s not a lot of production to instill confidence in a GM who would have to shell out big money to keep him in purple. On the bright side, Smith is also still very young. At age 24, he’s still only three months older than rookie tight end Nick Muse. If he can stay on the field, he has the opportunity to be a great player and earn the all-important second contract.
With another injury-plagued year or a disappointing performance, the decision should be easy for the Vikings. It’s probably not worth keeping a player who potentially doesn’t fit your scheme and will still command big money due to his youth and pedigree. In either case, it seems unlikely the Vikings will bring Smith back. They have a trio of stellar, proven pass catchers at wide receiver and their preferred model of tight end behind Smith. However, it’s always hard letting good football players walk. Maybe the team surprises and offers him top money to stay in town. On the other hand, the Vikings will already have to put U.S. Bank Stadium on Airbnb to pay Justin Jefferson.
Irv Smith Jr. has a lot to prove, much of it to himself. The Vikings are also hoping for a breakout year, despite knowing it may mean he ends up elsewhere next season. The truth is rarely pure and never simple, and both sides may know that the season may be the last dance for both parties.
