Report: Patriots Sign Ex-Jets Linebacker David Harris
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots have made yet another free agent signing, and it's a former New York Jet. They have signed veteran linebacker David Harris to a two-year deal.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the deal Wednesday morning on Twitter. He later added that the two year deal is worth $6.75 million.
Harris, 33, played the first 10 seasons of his NFL career with the Jets, recording 1,087 total tackles in 154 games. He's also been remarkably durable over the course of his career, as he played in all 16 games for the Jets for seven straight seasons from 2009-15 before missing one game in 2016.
Harris had also been the defensive signal-caller for the Jets defense for several years, which would make him a potentially solid backup for Patriots defensive captain Dont'a Hightower. He will compete for a roster spot at Patriots training camp in July, joining a depth chart that also includes Rob Ninkovich, Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Jonathan Freeny, and undrafted free agent Harvey Langi.
The Jets cut Harris on June 6 as part of a roster purge that has them in straight-up tanking mode as they likely eye a franchise quarterback at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft. They also cut wide receiver Eric Decker, who recently signed with the Titans.
As a 33-year-old linebacker in a deep positional group, Harris is far from a guarantee to make the Patriots roster in 2017. Per this pats quote via the Providence Journal's Mark Daniels, Bill Belichick certainly must love Harris' dependability and football smarts:
Harris is also well known for picking off Tom Brady in the 2010 AFC Divisional Playoff, sparking one of the most disappointing games of Brady's career. No. 12 must also be happy that he finally has Harris on his side.
