PFT’s top-ranked restricted free agent has reportedly been given a second-round tender by his club.
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the Broncos have tendered cornerback Chris Harris a one-year, $2.187 million contract.
Harris, 24, has started 27 games in the last two seasons for Denver. He suffered a torn ACL in the Broncos’ divisional playoff win vs. San Diego in January.
Were a team to sign Harris to an offer sheet that the Broncos declined to match, the signing team would surrender its 2014 second-round pick to Denver. Considering Harris’ injury and the relatively high cost to sign him away, it’s difficult to see a team making a run at the cornerback.
Nevertheless, the second-round tender for Harris makes sense on multiple levels. Harris played well last season, and a nice bump in compensation is deserved. Moreover, Harris is a former undrafted free agent, so the Broncos couldn’t go any lower on a contract offer, lest they just retained the right to match any offer sheet without receiving any compensation were Harris to depart.