Five Broncos players who might be finished in Denver
Chris Harris Jr., cornerback
This should come as no shock to anyone at all, but it feels more likely than not that Chris Harris Jr. will not be a Denver Bronco anymore come March.
That’s a tough pill to swallow.
Harris spent his first nine seasons as a pro in Denver, and he’s been absolutely outstanding. As a matter of fact, there are only a couple of players in the entire league that deserve to be even mentioned with Harris over that time period as the best at the cornerback position.
Harris is going to be 31 this season, and the Broncos reportedly already offered him an extension in the middle of last season for three years, $36 million.
An average salary of $12 million per season would have put Harris at 13th in the NFL among cornerbacks, but he’s seeking more. He’s been open about the fact that he wants to be paid like one of the best corners in the NFL, and he seems confident he’s going to get north of $14 million per season on a new contract.
The Broncos were offering Harris a pretty fair deal considering he’s now on the other side of 30 and struggled at times last season, but they were also only offering an additional guarantee of the 2020 season beyond what he was being paid in 2019.
Harris has not counted the Broncos out of the mix for his services in 2020 and beyond yet, and rightfully so. It isn’t mandatory for him to finish his career in Denver, but he’s expressed a number of times that he would like to do that.
Prior to becoming a free agent the first time around, Harris opted to sign an in-season extension with the Broncos in 2014. He’s never experienced unrestricted free agency and having all 31 teams besides the Broncos come after him.
He’s excited for that opportunity, and rightly so.
If the market sets Harris’ value too far above what the Broncos are comfortable paying when they could possibly get another player of similar caliber who is younger at a similar price, it could mean the departure of the last piece of the No Fly Zone.