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Today in Patriots History
Rodney Harrison signs with Pats
Rodney Harrison signs with Pats
March 12, 2003:
Patriots announce the signing of 31-year old free agent Rodney Harrison
Harrison a Patriot -- Patriots.com
The New England Patriots are confirming that two-time Pro Bowl free agent safety Rodney Harrison, 31, has signed with the club a day after it inked prize linebacker Rosevelt Colvin. The deal was actually consummated late last night.
The Denver Post's Adam Schefter has the story in this morning's paper and quoted Harrison from The San Diego Union-Tribune. "I just wanted a fresh start," Harrison said. "I like Bill Belichick, the way his defensive mind works. I'm excited about being able to play in a great secondary with [Lawyer] Milloy and [Ty] Law."
After landing cornerback Tyrone Poole last week to either compete for a starting job or, at the very least, to improve the Patriots nickel back position, the team went ahead on defense this week as well, landing Colvin and now Harrison, who played his entire career in San Diego.
The nine-year veteran has 759 career tackles to go with 26 interceptions, 21.5 sacks, 83 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. Last season, he finished second on the Chargers with 88 tackles along with two interceptions, two forced fumbles and seven passes defensed.
In addition to his two Pro Bowl selections (1998 and 2001), Harrison was named the Chargers Defensive Player of the Year four times. His best season statistically came in 2000 when he had 127 tackles, six interceptions, six sacks, 17 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Harrison was plagued by a groin injury last season and missed two games, but told the Union-Tribune's Jim Trotter that he is fully recovered. He also told that paper that he is taking Yoga classes and has lost 12 pounds to increase his quickness and flexibility.
Harrison was originally a fifth-round pick out of Western Illinois. He was released by San Diego to free up cap space before the start of free agency this year.
The Harrison signing gives the Patriots some flexibility with free agent safety Tebucky Jones, who currently wears the team's "franchise" tag. The Patriots could remove the tag and allow Jones to become a free agent, which would free up the $3.043 million in cap dollars committed to Jones as the "franchise" player. The Harrison signing also gives the Patriots some wiggle room in trading Jones. To do that, the club would allow Jones' agent, Gary Wichard, to negotiate a long-term contract with a club that has agreed to trade terms with the Patriots.
From the San Diego Tribune:
Former Chargers strong safety Rodney Harrison ended his search for a new team last night when he agreed in principle to a six-year deal with the . . .
Oakland Raiders?
Denver Broncos?
Try the New England Patriots.
"I'm shocked and excited," Harrison said before leaving Foxboro, Mass., to return to his offseason home outside Atlanta. "This is one of the last places I thought I'd be. I thought I'd be playing in the Canadian League before I'd be playing out here.
"But Coach (Bill) Belichick stepped up. He showed an interest, and whatever he said and committed to, he did. They weren't trying to go back and forth. He said, 'We want you here. You're going to make our team better.' He was no-nonsense."
Financial terms were not immediately available, but a source close to the situation said Harrison will earn considerably more in the first year of the contract than he would have with the Raiders or Broncos. Harrison visited with Oakland officials Monday. While there, he received calls from Denver coach Mike Shanahan, who made a last-minute attempt to keep the two-time Pro Bowler from the defending AFC champion Raiders.
What neither of those teams knew was, Belichick also was making a pitch for Harrison, who took a red-eye flight from Oakland to Massachusetts on Monday night.
"I didn't feel like really putting up with the (mess) in the AFC West," Harrison said. "I kind of wanted to start over and get disconnected from that. I didn't feel like having all that controversy in my life.
"Belichick was real. He stepped up. He didn't B.S. me. I like the way his defensive mind works and I'm excited about being able to play in a great secondary, with Lawyer Milloy and Ty Law. Belichick also assured me that this is not a one-year deal. He assured me that you don't have to look over your shoulder; just play football. That was a concern of mine. I didn't want to look over my shoulder at 31, 32 (years old). Everything just worked out here. This team won the Super Bowl two years ago, and after seeing them sign (free-agent defenders) Rosevelt Colvin and Tyrone Poole, I'm encouraged that it can happen again."
How free agency in 2003 allowed Patriots to lay key building block for a dynasty
The signings of Rodney Harrison and Rosevelt Colvin created a snowball effect that helped make New England a destination for veterans.
www.nytimes.com
But Belichick wasn’t yet Bill Belichick, and the Patriots were still a mystery to the rest of the league.
“I didn’t really have a perception of Belichick,” said Harrison, who is currently an NBC Sports analyst. “It was more about the individual players — Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Lawyer Milloy. I was like, ‘Man, I would love to be part of a group like that.’ I knew they had won the Super Bowl a year before. They had a down year after that. I’m trying to figure out, ‘OK, what kind of team is this?'”
Were the Patriots really ready to reconstruct the NFL landscape? Or were they overachievers in 2001 who showed their true colors in 2002?
Harrison’s first impulse was to join the Raiders, who had just won the AFC Championship Game and had the league’s sixth-ranked scoring defense. So he lined up his first visit in Oakland. Though the visit didn’t go as he hoped, it created a path to New England.
“One place I really always dreamt about going was Oakland,” Harrison said. “I always wanted to be a Raider — to dress in the silver and black. I’ve played against them for so many years, always had respect for Al Davis. Al was in a meeting and he was busy. My agent got a couple phone calls. One was Mike Shanahan. The other one was Bill Belichick. Mike was offering more money.
“I actually put (Shanahan) on hold and listened to Belichick. Belichick was like, ‘Hey, we want you here. Can you get on a flight?’ I got on a flight, leaving the Raiders, which they offered me some garbage money anyway. Catching that flight to New England was the best decision I ever made.
“(The visit with the Raiders) left a sour taste in my mouth, and it added to me being even more pissed off. I’m like, ‘Man, you saw me play for all these years.’ I think (Davis) offered me like $1.3 million, like $750,000 to sign and maybe $600,000 as a base salary. I’m like, ‘Man, this is an insult. I can play. I was out there hurt, and I can play.’ It pissed me off.”
Harrison took a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Boston and immediately went to Gillette Stadium to meet with Belichick. Harrison was stunned by Belichick’s football recall and intellect, bringing up an array of plays he made during his career and noting that’s what the Patriots needed within their defense.
And Belichick really blew him away when he brought up a hit in a pregame warmup.
“This is what really got me,” Harrison said. “We played against the Patriots in San Diego. He saw me in warmups. I hit one of my (defensive backs) in a tackle drill, a form drill, and I knocked off his helmet. He brought up that play when I was sitting there. It was just me warming up. I was like, ‘How the hell did you know that? How did you see that? How did you remember that?’ Once he did that, I’m telling you, that was the key point in our conversation that made me sign. As soon as he noticed that, I said, ‘This guy sees everything. He’s like me. He sees everything. I want to be here.’
“I was like, ‘This is a football guy.’ I told my agent sitting there, ‘Let’s work out a deal. This is the place I want to be.'”
Rodney Harrison | The Patriots Hall of Fame
www.patriotshalloffame.com
Rodney Harrison Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Checkout the latest stats for Rodney Harrison. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
