Denver Broncos getting rave reviews for Chris Harris Jr. deal

[JesseH]

"Not sure people are grasping what a steal the Broncos got. This deal is $3-4 million per year below what it should be. You just don't see this."

Joe Banner is a former NFL executive - a 20-year NFL President and CEO with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, according to his Twitter bio.

And he's floored at the deal the Broncos got done with Chris Harris.

Joe Banner @JoeBanner13


If reports on #'s are true Broncos stole Chris Harris. He is a really good player at a crucial position and took a deal well below market

The numbers? Five years and $42.5 million, according to the Denver Post. For comparison, Aqib Talib of the Broncos signed a six-year, $57 million this past offseason. That's an average of over $1 million per year more than Harris, and for a longer period of time.

Harris has been playing better than Talib.

Joe Banner @JoeBanner13


Can't imagine what comps were used to do Harris deal. Corners of his ability were getting 10+/yr when cap was $20,000,000 less than now

Chris Mortensen ✔ @mortreport

RT @Jeff_Legwold: Probably an opportune time to point out @ChrisHarrisJr is not currently among top 10 CBs in fan vote for Pro Bowl.

Joe Banner @JoeBanner13
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.@mortreport @Jeff_Legwold @ChrisHarrisJr that's almost as crazy as this contract is bad. Most below market deal I have seen in a long time

Joe Banner @JoeBanner13
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Not sure people are grasping what steal the broncos got. This deal is 3-4 million/ year below what it should be. You just don't see this

Thank you, John Elway.

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[crash123go]

I think thanking Chris Harris is more in order. He knew he could've been paid the same contract as PP and Sherman but he would rather stay here, get a good contract, and leave us a lot of cap to keep this team together.

This could start a string of high priced talent taking serious below market deals to stay in denver which hasn't been seen in 20 years.

[flosstein]

What I like is the fact that he could actually play out that deal. Of all those "big money" deals they speak of, how many will actually see the full deal play out and not just the guaranteed portion? He has a strong chance to actually play his entire career in Denver, as long as his production stays at this level. Assets and liabilities, and right now his deal is an asset

[Hadez]

I think the deal just speaks to the kind of character Harris has. I am sure his agent told him he could wait until free agency and probably get paid the kind of money people are talking about. Instead he accepted the deal we are talking about.

IMO he will be play better in the future as well.

[dizzolve]

Harris saw the Elway's Broncos take care of Champ when they didn't have to. He just heard DT go on the record saying, 'I'd give a hometown discount'. He's seen Elway go out and pay the kind of talent needed for trying to fix what were weaknesses the previous season. He trusts the Broncos and is a team player.

As long as Harris can stay healthy he'll get another deal maybe even a restructure if he keeps up the elite play. And by not being ultra greedy, he leaves the Broncos to remain competitive in the salary cap battle all teams compete against each other at.

I just believe in the Broncos' integrity and fairness with their players. And I think Harris is such a competitor in his own right that he's helping the team win that behind the scenes cap battle. Hopefully DT and JT and the others follow Harris lead on this and help this team get a ring. All players of every team that wins the Championship make some sacrifices for the greater good. Is this what happened here? I don't know but like the rest of you I'm trying to make sense of it. It's either that or maybe his just coming off the ACL injury had him feeling like he was not quite as strong a product than he could have been.

Whatever the reasons, I think the Broncos do right by their guys when they deserve it. UDFA Harris is already making WAY more than he dreamed possible. And if Harris balls out in the next couple years the Broncos will likely be happy to revisit his contract and adjust it accordingly

Chris Harris, I've always been a fan. But now it's like 10fold. We love you bro

[dizzolve]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12021497/chris-harris-jr-signs-extension-denver-broncos-5-years-425-million

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos have signed Chris Harris Jr. to a five-year, $42.5 million extension that will run through the 2019 season.

"We've been talking for over a month, kind of since the New England game," Harris told ESPN.com. "I'm just ecstatic to have it done, really focus on straight football right now. But what a year, my wife and I having a baby, this, coming back from my surgery, I'm glad [the contract] is something that's done now."

Harris, who is considered among the elite cornerbacks by personnel executives around the league, was one of several high-profile Broncos poised for unrestricted free agency at the end of this season.

That list still includes Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker, Terrance Knighton, Orlando Franklin and Rahim Moore. Harris, 25, is the first of the group to be retained by the team long term.

Harris will receive a $10 million signing bonus -- half upon signing the deal and half in March -- and the contract includes $24 million in guaranteed money.

"It feels great, but I still have to go out and prove it every day," he said. "I've still got a lot to prove, a lot of things I want to accomplish with this team, being a leader, helping this team accomplish big things.

Added Broncos executive vice president/general manager John Elway in a statement Friday: "It's a priority for us to develop and reward our own players as we continue assembling the best possible team. Whether it's on the field or in the community, we are proud to have Chris representing the Broncos for many years to come."

Champ Bailey had called the impending financial shot.

On the day last month when Bailey formally announced his retirement from the NFL, he said Harris was "playing better than anybody right now. ... Chris is playing the best of any player at his position in the league."

Then Bailey added, "I hope [the Broncos] pay him like it. I think they will. Knowing John Elway, how he goes about it, I think they will."

Last week, Harris echoed his thoughts from earlier this season that "it seems like people maybe rank you on the contract or whatever. ... I just want to keep working, be the best corner out there and everything will take care of itself. I've always felt like if I get the chance to show people what I can do, they'll see it and acknowledge it."

Harris, who had ACL surgery in February, has 45 tackles this season and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with three despite rarely being tested by opposing quarterbacks. Singled up on Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe for virtually every snap in a 29-16 Broncos win, Harris held him to two catches for 18 yards in the game.

The deal also means that in the Broncos' secondary: Aqib Talib, who signed a six-year, $57 million deal this past offseason, is signed through the 2019 season; safety T.J. Ward (four years, $22.5 million in March) is signed through '17; and rookie cornerback Bradley Roby is signed through '17.

Harris was signed as an undrafted rookie in 2011 for a $2,000 signing bonus. He made the team's 53-man roster largely as a special teams standout at that point but has since evolved into one of the league's most versatile defensive backs.

Harris is able to line up in the outside positions at cornerback on either side of the formation as well as in the slot on either side of the formation.

"Chris just practices so hard, plays so hard," defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "He competes every day, in practice, in games, every snap, even when he rehabbed his knee, and those are the kinds of guys we want in our defense."

[Rancid]

The rave reviews go all around. Like Hadez stated above, the character of CHJ made this happen.

[ERoyal248]

I'll eat crow, i thought he would want more, he easily would have gotten 10+ on the open market, maybe more but taking less is something that doesnt happen often.

Hardly playing for league-minimum but every penny helps.

Health provided, he should play out the entire deal.

[ERoyal248]

I think thanking Chris Harris is more in order. He knew he could've been paid the same contract as PP and Sherman but he would rather stay here, get a good contract, and leave us a lot of cap to keep this team together.

This could start a string of high priced talent taking serious below market deals to stay in denver which hasn't been seen in 20 years.

He has a small cap hit in Year 1, which should give us a little more cap room to work with next season.

[EddieMac]

I truly think he truly gave the " hometown discount " hopefully that move will inspire a few of the others left to sign to do the same. Absolutely love it, just hope all these compliments About the contract for Elway don't make him feel like he got rooked in the deal.

[JayJack]

It's great to see guys at the top of their positions (Foster, Watt and Harris) take one for the team!!

I've always told people that if I was in the League, I wouldn't have to be the highest paid, but at least offer me something respectable.

That seems to be the path that these guys have taken, and man is that refreshing.

[ERoyal248]

It's great to see guys at the top of their positions (Foster, Watt and Harris) take one for the team!!

I've always told people that if I was in the League, I wouldn't have to be the highest paid, but at least offer me something respectable.

That seems to be the path that these guys have taken, and man is that refreshing.

Watt got 15-16 a year, i'd hardly call that a discount.

[JJBroncoFan]

Elway really deserves a lot of credit for this signing, I'm stunned by the numbers. The talent for the money is without a doubt the best for a CB in the NFL, without a close second place. Maybe for any position with the importance of coverage players.

[EddieMac]

whats nice is that if Roby develops it can make Talib expendable and open up money for other players in a couple of years.

[Remedy]

whats nice is that if Roby develops it can make Talib expendable and open up money for other players in a couple of years.

Pretty solid backfield for a few years here... the way thins are shaping up