Getty Images Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr. will officially become an unrestricted free agent on March 18.
The Kansas City Chiefs were active on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering window, making a flurry of transactions including franchise tagging DT Chris Jones and picking up club options on RB Damien Williams and LB Damien Wilson. The team did not escape the day unscathed, however, losing free agent CB/S Kendall Fuller to his former team, the Washington Redskins.
The 25-year-old was one-of-five Chiefs defensive backs gearing up to hit the open market, and given the organization’s limited spending power this offseason, Fuller is likely not the only one to leave town once the dust settles. Kansas City will be in good hands at safety spot with the starting tandem of Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill, who is recovering from a late-season ACL injury. The cornerback position is expected to feature some different names in 2020 as the contracts of veterans Bashaud Breeland and Morris Claiborne have also expired.
As one of the league’s best cover men over the past decade, Denver Broncos free agent CB Chris Harris Jr. has been a frequently suggested solution to the Chiefs’ problems – along with most teams across the NFL. Some players have even taken recruiting duties into their own hands while their employers were not yet permitted to do so.
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In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Harris revealed that Mathieu, the Chiefs team MVP, has been in his ear about joining forces in Kansas City.
“[He says] just come up there, man,” said Harris of Mathieu’s pitch. “Play with him, be able to do what I’ve done in the past — play everywhere on the field, and also play with a great quarterback.”
Harris also mentioned narrowing his list of suitors down to “at least five to ten teams,” confirming that there is significant interest in his services around the league. Unlike some free agents who reach the open market, it appears compensation won’t be the sole factor in Harris’ final decision.
“I’m really just looking for the best situation,” Harris Jr. says. “Of course, you want a team that’s going to pay you and appreciate you, one, and then also how they’re going to use me.”
Honeybadger Hits Harris on Twitter
Mathieu has also recently engaged with the coveted cover corner on Twitter, quoting a Harris tweet from March 3 that read, “lol They might have to see me now #StrapHarris.”
The Pro Bowler’s reply didn’t exactly rule out the possibility.
While the idea of poaching a top defender from division rival Denver and adding him to an already-talented defensive unit sounds like a no-brainer in theory, the Chiefs would need to clear substantial salary cap space to even entertain the idea. Complicating the matter is a potentially unprecedented long-term contract extension for superstar QB Patrick Mahomes, which the front office is reportedly working to complete sooner than later.
Harris Linked to Chiefs in Previous Interview
Whispers and social media love from the Chiefs’ All-Pro safety are not the only links between the free-agent-to-be and the defending Super Bowl champions. In a recent interview on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Harris was asked if he would be wearing a Chiefs uniform next season if the team offered him the right contract (4:40 mark below).
“I’m going to listen to everybody, man,” Harris said back in January. “I’m listening to everybody for sure. I mean, Kansas, I went to school there, so that’s like another home for me. [I have] a big following there so I’m definitely looking at everybody. But like you said, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a good fit.”
After spending the first nine seasons of his pro career with the Broncos, the versatile defensive back will begin his tenth season as a first-time NFL free agent. The answer should reveal itself shortly as both Harris and his representatives believe they’ll know his landing spot by March 19 at the latest, the day after the official opening of free agency.
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