About a month ago, it was reported the Green Bay Packers had made a “competitive contract offer” to free-agent defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison.
Now, the former All-Pro has confirmed the Packers did, at one point, reach out to him about possibly signing him for the 2020 season.
They have..
The Packers were expected to make additions to their defensive line during the past offseason after struggling to provide star nose tackle Kenny Clark with consistent support in 2019. That seemingly put Harrison, who was a first-team All-Pro for the New York Giants in 2016 and played the past two years with the Detroit Lions, near the top of the list of possible free-agent veterans to consider signing for the position.
A direct connection between the Packers and Harrison was then made when Ross Uglem of Packer Report reported at the end of July that a contract offer had been made.
The Packers, however, proceeded through training camp with just three new additions — a small-time veteran and two undrafted rookies — and ended up cutting all of them in favor of the five defensive linemen who finished the 2019 season with them. Their active roster includes Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster, Kingsley Keke and Montravius Adams alongside Clark, while cut rookies Willington Previlon and Delontae Scott re-signed for the practice squad.
There is a chance the Packers could circle back to Harrison at some point this season with Adams, who has been sidelined with a sprained toe, currently questionable for Sunday’s season opener at the Minnesota Vikings. A run-stopping veteran with hundreds of meaningful reps on his resume could provide them with a solution if Adams’ return takes some time.
The Packers still have one remaining spot available on their 53-man active roster after placing two on injured reserve on Monday and signing cornerback Parry Nickerson to fill one of the openings.
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Harrison Hints at Possible Return Soon
Harrison was answering some questions from fans Tuesday on Twitter when he made his remarks about Green Bay’s interest in him, but he elaborated the Packers had come knocking “at some point” previously and revealed he had purposely requested his agent not tell him the names of the teams that inquired over the past few months.
Put simply, the Packers’ reported contract offer may have been legit, but Harrison was never informed directly the offer came from Green Bay. Maybe the rest of us will never know.
Some teams have tried the last couple months but I purposely didn’t want to be told the names of the teams. So it could’ve happened I just didn’t want to know the names.
Throughout his candid afternoon on Twitter, Harrison said he considered the Chicago Bears as an “option” for the future and also admitted “never say never” on a possible reunion with Detroit. He also called his decision to leave the Giants one of his three “biggest life regrets.”
From the sounds of it, though, there are reasons why Harrison has not yet signed with a team — ones he indicated could be changing in the near future. It is possible that Harrison, a 31-year-old free agent, could be worried about playing the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic, but nothing Harrison said suggests his reasons for not signing are related to the coronavirus.
Perhaps if they do change, Harrison won’t mind sharing.
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Ex-Giants All-Pro Confirms Packers Showed Interest in Signing