The situation surrounding cornerback Chris Harris and the Broncos has taken several twists and turns recently. Harris is seeking a new contract, and so far the Broncos have been unwilling to meet his demands.
That led to the Broncos initiating trade talks, which had been picking up steam recently. We heard early on Friday that the Broncos were deciding between various offers, and a deal appeared imminent. It seemed like only a matter of time before Harris changed teams, and it looked like he would be shipped out sometime during the draft. The draft came and went without Harris going anywhere however, and it turns out a trade was never actually that close to happening.
Broncos GM John Elway said after the draft that the team didn’t have any contact “with Chris or about Chris” this weekend, per Lindsay Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Elway also said he’ll resume negotiations with Harris and his agent on a new contract now that the draft is over. If Elway is telling the truth, then the Broncos weren’t ever that serious about moving Harris. Denver didn’t draft any cornerbacks, so it sure seems like they’re planning on having Harris on the roster.
After demanding a new contract or a trade, Harris has toned down his rhetoric and insisted that he wants to stay with the Broncos, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas back in 2011. Harris is one of the last remaining players from Denver’s once vaunted ‘No Fly Zone’ secondary, and he’s made the Pro Bowl in four of the last five seasons.
He’s reportedly seeking at least $15MM per year on a new deal, and as of right now the Broncos are unwilling to pay that. Harris reportedly felt disrespected by Denver’s decision to give Kareem Jackson, who is older and less accomplished than Harris, a three-year, $33MM deal this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see if Harris is able to get $15MM annually, but either way it doesn’t sound like Elway plans on trading him anytime soon.