Kevin O’Connell Spills Harrison Smith’s 1 Condition Ahead of 14th Season
The Minnesota Vikings have a long list of great players who have come through the organization, including Cris Carter, Randy Moss and John Randle. The team is now embarking on a new era with Justin Jefferson leading the way, with J.J. McCarthy set to be under center for the foreseeable future.
Although it has been a bit of a youth movement in Minnesota for the last few years, the Vikings still have a legend patrolling the secondary, with veteran safety Harrison Smith, who decided to come back for another season with the franchise.
Apparently, there’s quite a story about how Smith chose to return for another year, involving head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Reveals Secret Agreement With Harrison Smith
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings greets Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Apparently, Smith had one condition that he needed to be met by O’Connell before he committed to returning for the 2025 NFL season. O’Connell revealed what Smith’s request to Pete Schrager of ESPN was, and it’s not what you might think, but it makes sense.
“We signed a little separate agreement between him and I, little handshake agreement, if he gets bed checked he’s got a fine system in place… (Harrison says) ‘If you wake me up, on Monday morning I’m coming for your wallet.’”
Smith seems to prioritize a good night’s sleep over anything else, which makes a lot of sense for a player playing such a physically demanding position on the defensive side of the football. Also, he’s playing in his 14th season in the NFL at the age of 36.
Much-Needed Bye Week for Vikings
GettyJustin Jefferson of Minnesota Vikings.
The first five games of the 2025 NFL season have been as challenging for the Vikings as any team in the league, with Minnesota dealing with injuries to key players, including McCarthy, and a two-game road trip overseas.
Fortunately for Minnesota, the team has been able to endure a tough stretch to start the 2025 campaign. Veteran quarterback Carson Wentz has proven to be better than expected while filling in for McCarthy, which was perhaps the biggest question mark for this team over the past few weeks.
The Vikings will now head into their bye week in Week 6 sporting a 3-2 record and a second-place standing in the NFC North division behind the Detroit Lions. Although Minnesota is far from being a perfect team at the moment, O’Connell’s squad has shown potential to be a legitimate threat in the NFC moving forward, especially when McCarthy returns healthy, as he could become the missing piece to the puzzle.
Obviously, it will be tough moving forward, with the Vikings having to contend with the Lions, Green Bay Packers and potentially frisky Chicago Bears squad, who might be starting to figure things out with new head coach Ben Johnson calling the shots.
In Week 7, the Vikings will resume their season against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, which could pose the biggest challenge of the 2025 campaign thus far.
Browns’ OC Tommy Rees Shares Plans for New OT Cam Robinson After Limited Debut
The Cleveland Browns have been very busy on the trade market over the past couple of weeks, as they have swung three separate deals recently that have shaken up their roster. The first of that bunch saw them acquire offensive lineman Cam Robinson and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft from the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
With Dawand Jones suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, the Browns needed some more help at left tackle, which prompted them to make a move for the veteran Robinson. After playing sparingly in his first game with his new team, though, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees opened up on what Robinson’s role with Cleveland will be moving forward.
Tommy Rees Dishes on Cam Robinson
In addition to trading for Robinson, the Browns have also sent Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals after he was benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel and acquired Tyson Campbell from the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Greg Newsome II going the other way. Of these three moves, though, Robinson’s could end up being the most important given the team’s need for help at left tackle.
Even though Robinson turned in one of the best seasons of his career last year, this is his fourth team in the past 12 months. Robinson started the 2024 campaign with the Jaguars before getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings. In free agency over the offseason, Robinson signed with the Texans, but he quickly lost his starting job at left tackle, leading to him getting sent to the Browns.
Robinson started Cleveland’s first offensive series in its Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings before KT Leveston took over for him, which led to questions about Robinson’s role with the team moving forward. Rees refused to commit to Robinson as the team’s starter at left tackle in Week 6, but it sounds like his role should be expected to increase moving forward.
“Hard week for Cam. You come here and then all of a sudden, you’re going to Europe,” Rees said on Thursday. “We felt like he did a nice job during the week. We had a plan going into the game, get his feet wet a little bit, see how it continues to go. and evaluate him from there. He did a nice job for us a week ago getting ready to play, and we’ll continue to build on that.”
Will Cam Robinson Start for the Browns in Week 6?
It remains to be seen whether or not Robinson will start in Week 6, but the situation has been made a bit more complicated due to Leveston dealing with a calf injury that has limited him at practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. With Robinson not being on the injury report, could that lead to Cleveland taking the training wheels off for him sooner than expected?
The Browns draw a tough matchup in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with their longtime division rival featuring a strong pass rush led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. If Cleveland’s offensive line doesn’t hold up, it could be a long day for Gabriel under center in this one. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon, and fans will be paying close attention to Robinson to see how much he plays after his limited debut in Week 5.
