Cornerback Chris Harris Jr., a four-time Pro Bowl selection in 12 NFL seasons, announced his retirement Tuesday.
Harris, 34, last played in the NFL in 2022 with the New Orleans Saints, and he told the Denver Gazette that after not receiving interest from teams this offseason, he made the decision to retire.
“I just waited a year, and I stayed in shape, but I realized that everybody was pretty much moving on with the younger players, the younger wave,” Harris told the Gazette. “So, I thought it would be great to just call it an end.”
Harris signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and played his first nine seasons with Denver, during which he was selected to his four Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl after the 2015 season. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016 and was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team in 2020.
“I was able to accomplish pretty much everything,” he told the Gazette. “… Getting All-Decade was the top thing. I feel definitely blessed, especially coming in as undrafted. I pretty much had to fight through all my career and being able to overcome that, that’s one thing I’m definitely happy for.”
He said his only regret was not being able to play safety later in his career.
He finishes his career, which also included two seasons with the Chargers, with 22 interceptions, 97 passes defended, 621 tackles, 7 forced fumbles and 6 sacks.
