Will Broncos Country root for Chris Harris Jr. in a different uniform?

This past week, the Broncos made a trade for cornerback A.J. Bouye. Many have applauded the trade as a good move by John Elway.

But for others in Broncos Country, the excitement over Bouye could be bittersweet. The acquisition of the cornerback almost ensures that Chris Harris Jr. has played his last game as a Denver Bronco.

Some reports have come out that the Broncos aren’t fully against bringing back Harris. I can’t see how he plays again for Denver. The Broncos have had multiple opportunities to extend him and they haven’t. The Broncos would like to bring Harris back, but at a bargain.

It’s been a very odd last 12 to 15 months for the Broncos and Harris. It started in the 2019 offseason when the Broncos made Kareem Jackson the highest-paid defensive back on the team. Harris believed he should hold that title and held out of offseason activities.

Things got a little testy between Harris and Elway.

At one point, Elway got irritated with the media when asked about whether he would talk to Harris about an extension. “I said we’re going to talk about it. It doesn’t mean we’re going to do it”.

Ultimately Harris won the standoff. The Broncos inexplicably paid him an extra $3 million for 2019. The Broncos did not extend Harris, but the money did persuade Harris to show up for training camp. I still don’t understand the Broncos logic on that one.

By Harris’ standards, 2019 was a down year. With the down year, many wondered if the Broncos would be bringing back one of their best players.

Within minutes of the Bouye trade, Harris was on twitter giving a real-time reaction to what he thought. At one point, he was trading tweets with Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Mathieu sent a complimentary tweet to Harris and Harris responded by tweeting “tell your people to call my people.” That would mean Harris would talk to the Chiefs about playing in Kansas City.

To this point, there has been speculation (and it’s just that) that Harris could end up playing for the rival and defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

How would Broncos country feel about Chris Harris Jr. playing for Kansas City?

Even worse, how would Broncos Country feel about Chris Harris Jr. winning a Super Bowl playing for the Chiefs?

We’ve seen it before.

Lyle Alzado is without question one of the largest personalities that ever played for the Broncos. Alzado was a fan favorite on the Broncos famous 1977 Orange Crush defense, a multiple-time Pro Bowler and one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

In 1979, Alzado had a contract dispute with the Broncos, then he boxed Muhammad Ali at Mile High Stadium (it actually happened) and the Broncos traded him to the Browns. Within two years, Alzado was let go by Browns and rejuvenated his career playing for the Raiders.

In 1983, Alzado won a Super Bowl with the Raiders. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Broncos rivalry with the silver and black was at its hottest. Watching Alzado win a Super Bowl with the Raiders was a tough pill for many Broncos fans to swallow.

Then, it happened again.

In the year 2000, Shannon Sharpe left the Broncos in free agency and signed with the Ravens. That season, Sharpe would go on to win his third Super Bowl ring with Baltimore.

I was 16 at the time and wasn’t too pumped to see another fan base enjoy Sharpe winning for their team. I actually hated Sharpe for it.

My dad always told me watching Alzado embrace being a Raider and winning with them made him dislike Alzado at the moment. Over time, however, the fond memories of Alzado and the Orange Crush crept back and now my Dad remembers him fondly.

Sharpe would return and play his final two seasons with the Broncos. So clearly, all is forgiven there. He’s probably my favorite Bronco ever.

Harris, like Alzado and Sharpe, could play a key part in helping a contender make a Super Bowl run. Alzado and Sharpe were perfect veterans to assist talented teams in ultimately winning the Super Bowl. Harris could be just that.

If I’m Harris, the Chiefs make sense. Harris wants to win and the Chiefs are the frontrunners to win the Super again next season. In addition, the Chiefs often play with a lead. Harris hasn’t played defense with a lead since 2014. It would relieve pressure off of him and put him in a position to create turnovers.

If not the Chiefs, Harris could end up with teams like the Cowboys or Eagles. Both teams feel they are a player or two away from being legit Super Bowl contenders. It’s actually very possible Harris hoists his second Super Bowl trophy in another uniform.

Harris will never come close to the charisma or cool personality of Alzao or Sharpe. But like those two, he can be very outspoken. When a player has a strong personality, and is on their team, fans love him. When he is on another team, that player can be intolerable.

For example: I loved Bill Romanowski the Bronco. I despised Bill Romanowski the Raider.

If Harris goes to the Chiefs, his willingness to show his emotions may make Broncos Country grow to dislike him. Especially if he plays well against the Broncos. Even if it is temporary, the relationship with Harris and Broncos country could strain. Then once he returns for his Ring of Fame ceremony, all will likely be forgiven.

I have two questions for Broncos fans:

Would you be mad at Chris Harris Jr. for playing for a rival like the Chiefs, Raiders or Patriots?

and

Regardless or team, would you root for Chris Harris Jr. to win another ring?