Former Broncos All-Pro Announces NFL Retirement

Walking away after 12 seasons.

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris (25) in the 2014 AFC / Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

A pillar of the once-vaunted "No-Fly Zone" secondary is calling it quits.

Former Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. announced his retirement from the NFL after 12 seasons, he told The Denver Gazette last week.

“I just waited a year and I stayed in shape, but I realized that everybody was pretty much moving on with the younger players, the younger wave,'' Harris said, via beat reporter Chris Tomasson. “So I thought it would be great to just call it an end.”

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Undrafted out of Kansas in 2011, Harris blossomed from a relative unknown into one of the game's elite defenders across his nine years in Denver — a four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, Super Bowl 50 champion, and member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

Harris, who spent 2020-21 with the Chargers and 2022 with the Saints, ends his illustrious career having totaled 621 tackles, 97 pass deflections, 22 interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns over 145 starts.

“I was able to accomplish pretty much everything,’’ he told Tomasson. “The only award I didn’t win was Defensive Player of the Year. Getting All-Decade was the top thing. I feel definitely blessed, especially coming in as undrafted. I pretty much had to fight through all my career and being able to overcome that, that’s one thing I’m definitely happy for.”

Harris, 34, said his post-football plans include a full-time media stint, though it's possible (if not probable) he eventually returns to the Mile High City to be inducted into the team's Ring of Fame.

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