Report: Broncos Say Goodbye to Chris Harris, Jr. as CB Signs with Chargers

The Denver Broncos are saying goodbye to veteran cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. The unrestricted free agent hit the market this week for the first time in his nine-year NFL career and found several potential suitors for his services.

The four-time Pro Bowler has reportedly decided on accepting the Los Angeles Chargers' offer, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson.

CB Chris Harris tells me he is picking the Chargers.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 18, 2020

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After vacillating on the subject throughout most of the offseason, Harris changed his tune about wanting to keep the door to the Broncos open in the wake of the A.J. Bouye trade. The day of the Bouye trade, Harris was importuning Broncos' Division rivals to contact his representatives.

Harris didn't end up landing with the Kansas City Chiefs, though he still chose one of the Broncos' most bitter rivals. Harris was once the top slot cornerback in the league, though the last two years — since Aqib Talib departed Denver — he's played mostly on the outside.

Vic Fangio tapped Harris to be his No. 1 corner last year in the wake of all the injuries the Broncos suffered at the position. Suffice to say, following around the opposing team's top wideout was not Harris' forte, as he turned in the most inconsistent season of his career.

Harris gave up four touchdowns in coverage last year, and each one seemingly came at the most inopportune time for the Broncos. He wanted to play on the outside, petitioning the team to make him CB1. But he wasn't equal to the opportunity.

Harris has been public about his desire to be 'used' the right way defensively, which, on the heels of his down year in 2019, is likely to be the slot. As a slot corner, Harris is still among the NFL's best. As an outside corner? Best-case, he's a solid CB2.

However, Harris' departure from the Broncos figures to only be temporary. As one of the most accomplished corners in franchise history, there's a really good chance Harris returns to the Mile High City to eventually be enshrined in the team's Ring of Fame.

The progenitor of the 'No Fly Zone' moniker, the Broncos will miss Harris' swagger and football IQ. But after GM John Elway bent over backward last year to placate Harris, giving him a more-than $3M raise to end an offseason holdout and offering him $26M over two years ahead of last fall's trade deadline to stick around through 2021, the Broncos finally had to turn the page.

Harris rebuffed Elway's offer, purportedly of the belief he could command north of $15M/year on the open market. While we don't know the exact details of his deal with the Chargers, we can say with assuredness that it wasn't for $15M APY.

Happy trails, 'Strap' Harris.

UPDATE: Mike Klis of 9NEWS reports Harris got $20M over two years from L.A., while Josina Anderson said it was $20.25M, which makes it official. Harris stepped over a dollar to pick up a dime last fall when he turned down Elway's $13M APY.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.