Vikings safety Harrison Smith reaches a ‘surreal’ milestone: his 200th NFL game

Harrison Smith was shown a who’s-who list of former Vikings he’ll join at noon Sunday when this year’s team plays host to the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium.

In normal human years, Smith is 36. Still a young man years from needing cheaters to read the list.

In NFL years, however, he’s a marvel. An outlier who’s reached the connecting doorway to the only five people to play 200 regular-season games in the 65-year history of the Vikings:

“They showed me that this week,” Smith said. “It’s kind of surreal.”

That’s because tied for sixth are:

“You don’t set out with the intention of being on a list like that, to be honest,” Smith said. “You don’t ever look that far ahead in this league. But it definitely means something to me because of all the things that go into those numbers for every guy on that list.”

Each one on that list has said over the years that there was some “luck” involved. Some extraordinary “toughness,” for sure. And Marshall, who died in June, once added, “Don’t underestimate what goes into making an NFL team want to keep paying you that long.”

“Jim Marshall’s number is outrageous,” Smith said. “He should have his own list. And his were consecutive starts. I don’t know how that’s even physically possible.”

In his first 199 regular-season games, Smith has:

His 37 interceptions (No. 1 among active players) and 20½ sacks have him on another list — a 35-20 club that includes only five other defensive backs, each in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Charles Woodson, Larry Wilson, Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler and Brian Dawkins.

In what likely will be his 14th and final season — “It’s too early for that question,” Smith said with a laugh when asked about a 15th campaign — the Vikings will honor Smith on the video board during Sunday’s game.

His wife, Madison, will sound the Gjallarhorn before the opening kickoff. “That’s pretty cool,” Smith said.

Smith will be the 122nd player in NFL history to reach 200 regular-season games with one team. He’ll be the ninth defensive back, joining Darrell Green (295), Barber (241), Bill Bates (217), Jimmy Johnson (213), Ken Riley (207), Devin McCourty (205), Donnie Shell (201) and Mel Blount (200). Green, Barber, Johnson, Riley, Shell and Blount are in the Hall of Fame.

Among active players, only five have reached 200 regular-season games with the team they’re currently playing for: Panthers center J.J. Jansen (270), Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (236), Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (220), Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (207) and Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (207).

If you include his eight playoff games, all starts, Smith actually has played in 207 games with 203 starts since he was the 29^th overall pick in 2012.

Smith remembers “getting run over by Maurice Jones-Drew and having a few nice PBUs [pass breakups]” in his NFL debut, a 26-23 overtime win against the Jaguars at the Metrodome.

He remembers Week 5 that year, a 30-7 win over the Titans, and how he watched the end of it from the locker room after being ejected for pushing an official.

Asked for his favorite memory, Smith focuses not on football, but the relationships he’s made.

“That’s the best part of the game,” Smith said. “Always being able to create those relationships, find new ones when guys leave and I’m still here. Count on one another. That’s the fabric of football.”

Anthony Barr and Andrew Sendejo were in Smith’s wedding. Audie Cole “is like family now,” Smith said.

“So many guys, so many great relationships,” he added, offering a list of his own. “Xavier Rhodes. Pat P [Peterson]. Stephon Gilmore. Terence Newman.

“Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford taking me under their wing when I got here. Antoine Winfield. Chad Greenway. Everson Griffen.”

“To play the length of time I’ve played at the position I’ve played, you have to evolve with the game,” Smith said. “Even when you don’t want to, you have to.”

Smith never has liked that the NFL slants its rules unashamedly in favor of the offensive side of the ball.

“There was a period of time as a young player that I didn’t want to evolve with the game,” he said. “But I realized it wasn’t productive. It’s not a successful way to play, so you evolve, try to do what is within the rules and keep on playing.”

And playing. And playing … until, eventually, you end up on that who’s-who list of all-time Vikings.