MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 10: Charles Harris #53 of the Detroit Lions warms-up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Coming off a breakthrough season with the Lions in 2021, Charles Harris is coming back on a multi-year deal.
The Detroit Lions made what turned out to be a great free agent find last offseason when they signed Charles Harris to a one-year deal worth less than $2 million. Now, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Harris has re-signed with Detroit on a two-year deal worth $14 million.
Harris was already declared a first-round draft pick bust, with 6.5 sacks in four total seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2017-2019) and Atlanta Falcons (2020). But he found a fit in Detroit last season, with a career-high 7.5 sacks as well as clear career-bests in total tackles (65), tackles for loss (10), quarterback hits (16) and pressures (34). He had a four-game sack streak early in the season, and another highlight was an outstanding performance in the Lions’ Week 15 upset win over the Arizona Cardinals (1.5 sacks, 12 total tackles, three tackles for loss).
Charles Harris rewarded by the Lions for breakthrough season
In some respect and by some accounts, the Lions got a bit of a bargain signing Harris to two years at a $7 million average per year with a nod to how the deal is revealed to be structured. But that suggests he found a softer market than might’ve been expected, surely rooted in concerns he’s a one-year wonder who only stepped up his game on a three-win team when his career was on the ropes. So he circled back to the Lions, though probably knowing he was wanted back when he hit the market and wanted to survey options.
In Detroit it may have simply been a case of scheme and role matching and maximizing what Harris had to offer, and thus what he did in 2021 is sustainable to them. So keeping him makes sense, and there’s no denying he was their best pass rusher last season. The deal for Harris also does not alter any further plans the Lions may have to bolster their pass rush.