Chris Harris attempted to find a new home in the NFL last season, but he was out of the league throughout the 2023 campaign. Rather than repeating a comeback attempt, the decorated corner has elected to hang up his cleats. 
Harris recently decided to retire, as detailed by Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. The 34-year-old last played in 2022 with the Saints, playing out a one-year deal following his time in the AFC West. While Harris spent a pair of seasons as a Charger, he will be best remembered for his nine-year tenure in Denver.
“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 Tomasson). “So I thought it would be great to just call it an end.”
Upon entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Harris showcased his potential as a rookie with the Broncos. From that season on, he served as a full-time starter and cemented his status as one of the league’s most productive and versatile corners. Harris racked up 20 interceptions (four of which were returned for touchdowns) during his Broncos tenure. That period included four Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro nod (as well as a pair of second-team inclusions).
Harris posted double-digit pass deflections four times in his career, and he wound up with 97 in total. He also recorded seven forced fumbles during his career, remaining an impactful defender in terms of ball production along the way. The Kansas product was a key figure on the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50-winning team, and he will exit the game with a championship to his name as well as a place on the 2010s All-Decade team. Harris trained for a 2023 deal, attempting to play a role on a contending team; the fact that an agreement did not materialize means he will end his career with 180 combined regular and postseason games of experience.
Harris noted his regret in not transitioning to safety – a move many corners make in their 30s to extend their careers. He added that he is contemplating a career in media with his playing days now behind him, but no firm decision has been made on that front. In all, Harris will depart with just over $68MM in career earnings.
CHJR is the man. Walked away from the game with generational wealth and a ring. Pretty good for a Jayhawk that doesn’t doesn’t play basketball.
HOF should be on his future
Extremely smart and dependable corner with impeccable technique and an indefatigable work ethic. Harris played like an undrafted player in terms of his motor, and was one of, if not the, smartest player on the field any time he was on it. Denver was extraordinarily lucky to have plucked him from the free agency pool, and he definitely earned the respect that opposing quarterbacks gave him. Harris didn’t give up a touchdown for two straight years, from 2013-2015. That includes playoffs-and he covered the best receivers in the league at that time, including, for instance, Antonio Brown. Great, great player.