Broncos Rumors: Shelby Harris Agrees to 1-Year, $3.3M Contract

Nose tackle Shelby Harris will return to the Denver Broncos as the two sides reportedly agreed to a one-year deal Friday.

Per Brandon Kristzal of KOA NewsRadio, Harris' new contract will be worth $2 million guaranteed ($3,250,000 million max value).

A six-year NFL veteran, Harris played the past three seasons with the Broncos. He became a full-time starter in 2019, recording career highs with nine pass breakups, six sacks and 49 combined tackles. 

Despite not receiving a lot of attention at the start of free agency, Evan Silva of Establish the Run noted the 28-year-old performed well in many areas aside from the raw counting stats last season:

Harris has turned into a great success story after being a seventh-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He appeared in just eight games over two seasons with them and bounced around with stints for the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys practice squad before landing in Denver. 

Appearing on Ian Rapoport's RapSheet and Friends podcast in January (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra), Harris explained he would like to remain with the Broncos but also understood this was his best chance to land a lucrative contract:

"We love Denver, we have a great nanny, and people don't realize how important that is. We have an amazing nanny who we don't want to leave but at the end of the day, I'm 28. We got one shot at this. This is not for me, this is for my kids, for my kids' kids and I want to make sure that they're OK, regardless, know what I mean? It means a little bit more to me, I want to stay in Denver but, at the end of the day, I understand that there's a chance it could not happen."

The Broncos were ultimately able to make a deal work with Harris. He will likely share time at defensive tackle with Jurrell Casey, who was acquired from the Tennessee Titans. 

Harris worked his way up from obscurity to a full-time starter last season. Now, with a new contract in hand, he will have the opportunity to continue establishing himself as a top-tier defensive tackle.