The Denver Broncos and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. appear to be on the verge of breaking up. After a prosperous relationship of eight years, the two sides are seemingly inching further apart from each other.
For months, Broncos GM John Elway has publicly stated that he would discuss Harris’ contract after the NFL Draft, and that was again the case this week.
“He’s under contract, so we’ll talk about that when the draft is over,” Elway said, Monday. “When I say this, I said we’re going to talk about it, it doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”
And now, with the NFL Draft here, the veteran’s future in the Mile High City is murky at best. According to Adam Schefter, Harris has requested to be traded, unless he is given a new deal. Not just any deal either. Harris is reportedly looking to be paid $15 million per season – which would make him one of highest paid defensive backs in the NFL.
Considering Harris took a hometown discount when he last re-signed with the Broncos, and has consistently outplayed his salary since, it’s not surprising that he wants to be paid like Josh Norman ($15 million) and Trumaine Johnson ($14.5 million).
In 2018, Pro Football Focus tabbed Harris as the No. 3 corner in the league with an overall grade of 86.0. Comparatively, Johnson finished the season as the 19th ranked corner and Norman didn’t even grade out in the top-25.
Even with his consistent production, though, there are multiple factors that will hurt Harris in the negotiation process.
For instance, Elway has a history of being a stiff negotiator, especially when the player is still under contract. As a 30-year-old coming off of a broken leg, there are also going to be questions about whether Harris can still be elite at a position that is dependant on speed.
But the biggest factor working against Harris may actually be the team’s depth. The Broncos signed Kareem Jackson (No. 4) and Bryce Callahan (No. 9) in the offseason – both graded out in PFF’s top-10 corners for 2018. So, while it would be ideal to see the trio roaming the secondary for years to come, the reality is the Broncos aren’t desperate.
The Broncos can add another DB in the Draft if they want. The 2019 cornerback class is filled with talented prospects.
Denver could could also elect to stay put, recognizing that Harris is still under contract for 2019 and likely cannot afford to sacrifice a season holding out. Either way, the incentive to pay Harris right now isn’t there.
Nobody is arguing that “Strap Harris” doesn’t deserve to be paid. He’s easily one of the top defensive backs in the league and should be compensated as such. However, it’s becoming increasingly more likely that he is not going to get that money here – and if that’s the case, the question becomes what should Denver do?
Keeping an unhappy Harris around seems like a decision that would cause more distractions than it would be worth. At the same time, Denver cannot afford to simply give away the four-time Pro Bowl selection.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the front office proceeds. Losing Harris would not sit well with much of Broncos Country, but if the Broncos are not going to re-sign him, trading him is the only logical solution.