The Patriots gave David Harris more money than the Jets were offering on a reduced deal, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Harris agreed to a two-year, $5MM deal with the Pats on Wednesday morning, giving the veteran linebacker a chance at winning his first ever Super Bowl.
Florio also hears that the terms of Harris’ deal were already agreed upon before he touched down in New England. The purpose of the Wednesday visit was to ensure that it was a good fit for both sides and it didn’t take long for everyone to feel comfortable about the union.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- There has been lots of speculation about the Jets tanking in 2017 to land a top quarterback in the 2018 draft, but don’t expect defensive end Sheldon Richardson to go along with that plan. “I mean, I don’t tank nothing,” Sheldon Richardson told Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “So that’s all opinions outside of this organization. We don’t come here — and we’re not going to go through training camp, and have 14-hour days — to go tank a season. I’ll be damned.” Richardson, 27 in November, is entering a contract year, so he has every reason to bust his behind this fall. He recently expressed interest in staying with Gang Green, but that feeling might not be mutual.
- When the Patriots were exploring the idea of signing Damien Williams this offseason, the running back kept in contact with the Dolphins throughout the process, ESPN.com’s James Walker writes. Ultimately, the Pats signed Mike Gillislee instead, another restricted free agent running back from an AFC East rival. When things didn’t pan out with New England, Williams signed his one-year, $1.8MM tender, a deal that marks a significant pay bump from his 2016 salary. Williams says he’s excited to continue playing in Miami.
- This year could mark a changing of the guard for the Jets at running back, USA Today’s Scott Pitoniak writes. Matt Forte, 32 in December, could wind up on the short end of a timeshare with Bilal Powell, a promising tailback entering his age-29 season. Beyond 2017, that could impact Forte’s future with the Jets. The veteran is under contract through 2018, but the Jets can cut him next offseason and save $3MM against just $1MM in dead money.