Chris Harris Jr. skips Broncos voluntary offseason program

The Denver Broncos started their offseason program on Tuesday, but Chris Harris Jr. wasn’t present. Supposedly, this decision has to do with making his contract extension a priority issue for John Elway and the front office.

The Broncos picked up his $1 million contract option and will make $7.9 million in his final year under his current contract. That contract is the 23rd highest in the NFL for a cornerback, but Harris finished ranked 4th in the NFL at the position in 2018.

Harris, 29, is certainly looking for some financial security entering the tail end of his career and will likely be looking for a healthy pay increase. With the signing of Bryce Callahan to take over the slot cornerback position, Harris will be moving outside and will want the contract that an elite outside cornerback would get.

Throughout his eight seasons, Harris has been a consistent and reliable force in the Broncos secondary. Not only that, he has been the kind of player that a franchise would want to one day be enshrine into its Ring of Fame. Those two facts alone should earn him at least one more extension to keep him in Denver into the latter stages of his career.

According to Pro Football Focus, Harris is still a lock down cornerback too.

So given all of these facts, just pay the damn man. Joe Rowles, of our own Mile High Report staff, posted his own disturbing theory about what could happen if the Broncos drafted a cornerback early in the 2019 NFL Draft.

That would be idiotic in this bloggers opinion. You won’t find anyone to replace Harris’s ability in 2019 or 2020 or even 2021. His play will drop off eventually as Father time always wins, but he’d be a safe bet for a 3-year extension minimum.

So get it done, already.