As the Minnesota Vikings head into the offseason after losing in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, the future of a key player has been questioned. While Vikings star Harrison Smith has had rumors of retirement swirling around him, quarterback J.J. McCarthy would give his thoughts on the possibility of his teammate hanging the boots up.

McCarthy took  to social media, Instagram specifically, where he reposted a video of Smith as the signal-caller wrote “#onemoreyear22”. The 22 is obviously in reference to Smith’s jersey number as McCarthy wants Smith to play one more season, especially since the rookie had missed the entire season with a knee injury.

Smith said after Minnesota’s season came to an end in the playoffs so suddenly that he would give his “thanks to everybody” according to A to Z Sports. This past season, he finished with 56 solo tackles, 87 total, one sack, and three interceptions in 16 games.

“There’s a lot that goes into this,” Smith said after the team lost in disappointing fashion. “It’s not strictly players, and I just want to give my thanks to everybody that makes it go. Obviously, wish we could’ve had a better result here today, but that’s tough to swallow right now.

“But it’s been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever played on at any level, and there’s a lot to be said about this group, and I really wish I had a couple more weeks with them, to be honest.”

Vikings’ Harrison Smith on possibly retiring this offseason

The emotions were high after the Vikings lost to the Rams in the Wild Card game, especially since the team had one of the best records in the NFL. However, Smith was asked about retiring once the offseason came around but didn’t give a straightforward answer.

“I don’t know. Probably chill out for a little bit,” Smith said. “I haven’t wanted to think about it kind of selfishly, just live in the moment. And I’m kind of still in that moment, so it’ll come when it comes.”

Smith has been with the team since 2012 and has been the foundation of the Vikings’ defense every season, no matter who the head coach and defensive coordinator was. Still, the loss to the Rams took most by surprise since they were clicking on all cylinders throughout the season.

“I thought we had a chance pretty early. You never know till the lights come on, but it was pretty early,” Smith said in regards to the events of the contest. “It was pretty early, and I wish we could have done a little more today. But guys were this group. This group enjoyed playing with each other and playing for each other.”

The Vikings finished with a 14-3 record, but that put them second in the NFC North as the Detroit Lions won the division with 15 wins. After being eliminated by Los Angeles, fans will have to wait and see if McCarthy gets his wish and Smith comes back for his 14th season in the NFL or retires as a great for the franchise.