Shelby Harris: Contract Extension with Broncos 'Will Work Itself Out'
Shelby Harris opted to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal with the Denver Broncos this season. But whether the veteran defensive end indeed proved he's worthy of a long-term extension isn't for him to decide.
Thus, he's letting the chips fall where they may ahead of another foray into free agency.
“Man, at the end of the day, after everything that happened last year, I realized you can't be worried about the small stuff," Harris told reporters Friday. "My job is to go out there and play football. Everything else is going to come eventually. So, for me, it's just about focusing on playing the game of football and really just focusing on going out there and producing and getting W's. Everything else will work itself out.”
What happened in 2019 was a 49-tackle, six-sack campaign (on top of nine pass deflections and six quarterbacks hits) that Harris failed to spin into a lucrative payday. He surprisingly toiled on the open market, failing to draw legitimate interest save for brief consideration from the Indianapolis Colts.
Finally, upon realizing his phone wasn't ringing, Harris signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal to return to Denver, including $2.5 million guaranteed. This, with the expectation he'll have better luck in 2021, essentially betting on himself. The Broncos are projected to wield more than $21 million in available salary-cap space next offseason, per Spotrac.com.
That bet initially paid off as Harris logged eight QB hits, four tackles-for-loss, and 2.5 sacks across 293 defensive snaps. Then the 29-year-old contracted the coronavirus, forcing him to miss the last four games — prime stock-boosting opportunities.
Activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, Harris is slated to suit up Sunday night for the Broncos' nationally-televised showdown in Kansas City. He won't see a full complement of snaps, head coach Vic Fangio confirmed, but his presence is a massive boost to a defense currently surrendering over 27 points per game.
And potentially his bank account, too.
"I haven't done really anything in four weeks, so it's just really about getting back in shape and going out there and trying to play as much as you can 100 percent at a time," Harris said. "So, however many plays that is, you just want to make sure you go out there going 100 percent every play.”
Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL and @MileHighHuddle
