On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to release longtime safety Harrison Smith, and at first glance, this move would seem to clear a path for the future Hall of Famer to retire. However, that might not be the case.
Smith's release isn't just a normal expiring contract departure. Instead, the Vikings designated his release as a post-June 1st exit, meaning they won't receive any salary cap relief from the transaction until after June 1st.
Without this designation, the release would cost Minnesota $6.3 million in current cap space, according to OverTheCap.