Harris is latest boon to Patriots
Ex-Jets LB signs two-year deal
The rich keep getting richer. The Patriots, who have had a very productive offseason, added much-needed veteran depth at linebacker yesterday with the signing of former New York Jets star David Harris.
Harris, 33, agreed to a twoyear deal with the Pats, his agent confirmed. The former second-team All-Pro was released by the Jets on June 6 after 10 seasons with the team.
According to ESPN, the deal is worth $6.75 million.
Harris certainly fills Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s desire for durability. He played all but one game last season after not missing a game since 2008, a streak that had topped out at 121 straight games. Last season Harris recorded 62 tackles and 32 assists for the Jets. He ranks second all-time in tackles in Jets history.
In addition to his 708 career tackles and 379 assists, Harris, a second-round draft pick (47th overall) out of Michigan in 2007, has made 35 sacks and six interceptions.
In 2014, leading up to a December game against the Jets, Belichick answered a question comparing Harris’ role to Jerod Mayo’s at the time.
“Yeah, I have a lot of respect for David Harris,” Belichick said. “That guy is, first of all, he never comes off the field, not (just) this year, but any year. The guy is like a 98, 99 percent play-time player for them every year, year after year. It’s obviously a defense that has a lot of communication and adjustments and he’s certainly at the center of that, both as the signal caller and then, at the line of scrimmage, you can see him adjusting the front or making some type of communication calls to his teammates.
“He’s a very instinctive player, which unfortunately we’ve seen that firsthand. He does a good job for them. He’s been very consistent, durable, dependable, productive over a long period of time. How long has this guy been there? Like eight, nine years — yeah, it seems like he’s been there a long time. He’s done a real good job for them.”
In Harris, the Patriots seemed to have found a player to pair with Dont’a Hightower at inside linebacker. Elandon Roberts, Shea McClellin, Jonathan Freeny and Kyle Van Noy are all on the roster, but Harris seems the logical choice to bolster a starting unit that, along with the cornerback pairing of Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore, looks stronger by the day.