On Thursday, April 25, ahead of round one of the 2024 NFL Draft, Patrick Chiotti from the Bleav Network revealed on his "X" account that former Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. was hanging his cleats, by retiring from the NFL, following a twelve-season career with the Denver Broncos (9 years), Los Angeles Chargers (2 years), and New Orleans Saints (1 year).
Former Denver #Broncos, Los Angeles #Chargers, and New Orleans #Saints cornerback @ChrisHarrisJr has officially retired from the NFL, per source (him)
— Patrick Chiotti (@PatrickChiotti) April 25, 2024
From undrafted to Super Bowl champ, what a hell of a career. Thank you Strap 🫡 https://t.co/KbZ2mTYnnW
Multiple sources confirmed this on Tuesday, as Chris is indeed retiring. Harris spent most of his career in Denver, to be specific, nine years. With that being said, let's recap Chris' journey with the Denver Broncos.
Chris Harris Jr. was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas, following the conclusion of the 2011 NFL Draft. He made the 53-man roster as a rookie, listed as the fourth cornerback in Denver's depth chart. Due to injuries on the roster, Harris started to get playing time as a rookie and was even named a starter. He was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.
In his second season, Harris was named a full-time starter. It was the first year of the Peyton Manning era. During the 2013 playoffs, Harris tore his ACL, specifically in the Divisional Round. Following his ACL injury, he started next to Aqib Talib, was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time, and was named a Second-Team All-Pro.
Harris led the secondary alongside Talib, TJ Ward, and Darian Stewart in the 2015-2016 season to a Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He was a key piece for the "No Fly Zone".
Chris was named to the Pro Bowl four times as a Bronco, three consecutive seasons (2014, 2015, and 2016), and the fourth in 2018. He was a two-time Second-Team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons (2014 and 2015), and a First-Team All-Pro in 2016.
Chris finished his Broncos career with the following stats ...
- 139 games (121 starts)
- 518 tackles (443 solo)
- 23 tackles for loss
- 10 QB hits
- 4.5 sacks
- 6 forced fumbles - 4 fumble recoveries
- 86 pass breakups
- 20 interceptions (4 pick sixes)
In the Playoffs he had the following stats ...
- 8 games (7 starts)
- 36 tackles (28 solo)
- 1 tackle for loss
- 1 QB hit
- 1 sack
- 8 pass breakups
A Mile High Salute for Chris, a great player and person who will be forever in Broncos history.