The Denver Broncos acquired cornerback A.J. Bouye in one of the first big trades of the NFL offseason after they were unable to sign Pro Bowler Chris Harris to an extension, and Harris clearly feels he was not treated fairly by his former team.
Harris shared some thoughts about his career path in an Instagram post on Monday, and wrote in the description that he “had to take the hard way and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
One of Harris’ followers commented that the only thing Harris should have changed was his agent so he could have remained with the Broncos, which inspired Harris to throw the Broncos under the bus.
The 30-year-old Harris replied that the Broncos instructed him to fire his agent, which he did. Harris says the team then worked with his former agent to acquire Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bouye is represented by Fred Lyles of NZone Sports Management Agency. After Bouye was traded to Denver, he told Mike Klis of 9News in Denver that several teams were interested in him but he liked what he saw with Vic Fangio’s scheme, so he had Lyles work something out with the Broncos.
“Fred gave me some possibilities about certain teams and I started watching film of Denver’s scheme," Bouye said. "I watched Vic when he was (defensive coordinator) with the Bears. So I’m excited, man.”
Harris switched agents to Chafie Fields in mid-December, so it would make sense the change had something to do with the contract negotiations that were ongoing between Harris and the Broncos. It was around that time that it was reported that Harris turned down a two-year extension from the Broncos.
There was speculation last season that Harris was unhappy in Denver, but it seems like he would have preferred to stay with the Broncos. There’s obviously some bitterness there, which could be a big reason why he chose to sign with a division rival.
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