ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —Since before this season began, Chris Harris Jr. has repeatedly stated his desire to remain with the Broncos for the entirety of the 2019 campaign.
That hope was realized Wednesday, as the trade deadline passed without the Broncos making any further moves.
"[I'm] definitely relieved and happy to be able to finish the year here," Harris said Wednesday. "That's what I wanted, that was the goal at the beginning of the year, to finish the year here and see what happens at the end of the year."
President of Football Operations/GM John Elway confirmed to DenverBroncos.com's Phil Milani that the team received inquiries on Harris, but said that the team both didn't receive the appropriate value and wanted to keep Harris in Denver.
"I know his contract's up at the end of the year," Elway said, "but we'll talk to him at the end of the year and see if we can get something done with him then."
Harris said Elway's comments about potentially working on an extension were appreciated.
"To know that they want me to be here, that's big for me," Harris said. "As a player, you always want to feel appreciated. You want to feel like the work that you put [in] on the field is noted and appreciated."
Head Coach Vic Fangio was also pleased that Harris will remain in Denver, at least for the short term.
"I like Chris," Fangio said. "Chris is a good player. I think he fits here, and I'm glad we still have him."
Fangio said he was open to Harris returning in 2020 and beyond.
"He's a versatile player," Fangio said. "He's smart. He can obviously play corner and/or nickel. He's been strictly been a corner for us for the most part because of where we're at. He's versatile, smart [and] can cover. He's what you want in a DB."
Harris could need to show his versatility this weekend against a Cleveland offense that features both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. He didn't hesitate when asked which receiver he'd prefer to cover.
"I want Beckham. What do you mean?" Harris said. "… He's the best receiver on their team. Landry, he has a lot of catches and he's been great in this league. No disrespect to him. I've had great battles with him too, but in their offense [Beckham] is their big-play guy."
Harris — like in many other weeks — will again feel the pressure to perform his absolute best. He'll play, he said, like the game depends on the defense's performance.
"We've always had a lot of pressure on us every game to win," Harris said. "Nothing changes from my side. … I have to play good to give us a chance to win every week, I know that. That's the type of pressure I put on myself every game."
