Chris Harris (safety)
American football player and coach (born 1982)
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Chris Harris (born August 6, 1982) is an American professional football coach and former safety who is currently the defensive backs coach passing game coordinator for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played eight seasons in NFL. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft after playing college football for the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
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Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Harris with the Washington Commanders in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| New York Jets | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Defensive backs coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | August 6, 1982 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| Position | Safety (No. 46, 43) | ||||||||||||||
| High school | J. A. Fair (Little Rock) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Louisiana-Monroe (2001–2004) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2005: 6th round, 181st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Harris also played with the Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, and Jacksonville Jaguars, and has coached with the Bears, San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans
College career
Harris attended college at Louisiana-Monroe. After redshirting the 2000 season, he was a four-year starter from 2001 to 2004.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 4.57 s | 4.06 s | 6.98 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | 11 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day[1] | ||||||||||||
Chicago Bears (first stint)
Harris was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round (181st overall) of the 2005 NFL draft.[2] He won the starting role at free safety early during his rookie season. In the 2006 preseason, Harris made a statement to a fan, Bryan Lange, that if the Bears made the Super Bowl he would give him a ticket. In January, his statement caused a minor controversy when the Bears did in fact qualify for Super Bowl XLI. Lange stood outside of Bears team headquarters holding a sign saying "Chris Harris, you promised." Harris claimed that he was joking and would not be able to fulfill the request due to family ticket obligations. Ticket brokerage firm sitclose.com later gave Lange a ticket, quieting the controversy. Harris intercepted a pass from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in the first quarter of the game; however, the Bears would go on to lose the game 29–17.[3]
Carolina Panthers
Harris was traded to the Carolina Panthers on August 2, 2007, for a 2008 5th round draft pick. Harris started 15 games in 2007 finishing with 101 tackles, and also setting a team record as he led the league with eight forced fumbles.
In 2008, the Panthers rewarded Harris with a four-year contract extension. He finished the 2008 season with 70 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception.
Chicago Bears (second stint)
On April 27, 2010, Harris was dealt back to the Bears in exchange for linebacker Jamar Williams. In his first season back in Chicago, Harris recorded 70 tackles and a career-high five interceptions that he returned for 69 yards. In week 12, he was the first player of the season to intercept a Michael Vick pass as he picked off Vick in Chicago's end zone to help the Bears beat the Eagles 31–26. Following his performance during the 2010 season, Harris received his first All-Pro-selection. On October 27, 2011, Harris was released by the Bears.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions claimed him off waivers on October 28, 2011.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Harris was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 15, 2012. He was later released on November 28.[4]
On January 26, 2013, Harris announced his retirement.[5]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2005 | CHI | 14 | 13 | 58 | 48 | 10 | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 44 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 0 |
| 2006 | CHI | 11 | 7 | 53 | 44 | 9 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | CAR | 15 | 15 | 97 | 77 | 20 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 70 | 60 | 10 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009 | CAR | 13 | 13 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 70 | 50 | 20 | 0.0 | 1 | 5 | 69 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | CHI | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DET | 8 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | JAX | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 101 | 88 | 439 | 352 | 87 | 1.0 | 12 | 16 | 200 | 0 | 44 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 0 | ||
Playoffs
Coaching career
Chicago Bears
On January 28, 2013, Harris was hired by the Bears as a defensive quality control coach.[6] He was not retained by new Bears head coach John Fox in 2015.[7]
San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers
Harris joined the San Diego Chargers as their assistant defensive backs coach in 2016.[8]
Washington Football Team / Commanders
Harris joined the Washington Football Team as their defensive backs coach in 2020.[9]
Tennessee Titans
On January 21, 2023, the Tennessee Titans hired Harris as their defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach.[10] Following the 2023 season, Harris was retained by new head coach Brian Callahan in the same role.[11] On January 27, 2025, it was announced that Harris and the Titans would be parting ways.[12]
New York Jets
On January 31, 2025, the New York Jets hired Harris to serve as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.[13] On December 15, Harris was named the interim defensive coordinator following the firing of Steve Wilks.[14]
