It’s been a pretty good year for defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
He signed a five-year, $46.5 million contract with the Giants as a free agent in March, bought his mother a house with some of the proceeds and spent July 4 weekend getting married. A honeymoon isn’t part of the fun, however.
Harrison told his bride that they would have to wait a year to take a trip because he wanted to stay in New Jersey to work out ahead of Giants training camp. That fits with Harrison’s assertion that the new contract won’t change his work ethic.
“I know a lot of people say [they don’t change after a big contract], to make it sound cool and whatever. But that’s true to me,” Harrison said, via NJ.com. “I want to be great. I want to be considered the best at what I do. I don’t come out here to be top three or one of the best. I come out here to be the best. ... I don’t think I’m fully a Giant yet. I’ve still got to go out there and earn their respect. They see the contract, they see what I’ve done in the past. But that means nothing to them. And I don’t want to feel like I’m entitled to be a Giant, just because of my contract. I want to earn the right.”
If Harrison and the other new arrivals on the Giants defense perform as hoped, the team’s chances of ending their playoff drought will look much better. That would be another positive for Harrison, even if it means any honeymoon plans may have to wait until a bit later in 2017.