During his time as the head of the Broncos’ football operation, John Elway has developed a reputation for being extremely careful with money. By giving free money to cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on Tuesday, Elway turned perception on its head.
It was smart. Harris arrived as an undrafted free agent, did everything expected of him, rose not only to the starting lineup but to the ranks of the very best cornerbacks in the game, and chronically had been underpaid. Elway surely has an even greater affinity for Harris, given that Elway discovered Harris in Elway’s first year on the job in Denver.
That said, the contract-year adjustment doesn’t rectify the below-market nature of the past years of his contract. But it’s something. For nothing, essentially.
More than the $3.25 million bump in 2019 pay is Elway’s willingness to give Harris more money without insisting on adding extra years to his deal. So Harris basically gets his cake and keeps his chance to make more of it on the open market.
Given the contentious negotiations from 2016 with Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, Elway’s willingness to reward someone who never has had the leverage to drive a hard bargain will send a clear message to the locker room. Do what’s expected of you, and you won’t have to go elsewhere to be financially rewarded.
Of course, Harris may still have to go elsewhere to get his next financial reward. But at least he got a partial reward for now.
