Former Patriot Announces Retirement From the NFL

Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris announced his retirement from football via Instagram on Monday night. Harris was a third-round draft choice by the Patriots in 2019 out of Alabama and spent the first four seasons of his career in New England from 2019-22. The 27-year-old signed with the AFC East Divisional Rival Buffalo Bills back in March 2023, but only appeared in six games for Buffalo, cut short after he suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 6.

Harris' best season came in 2021. During the 2021 season, the tailback nearly reached the 1,000-yard rushing plateau, finishing the season with 929 rushing yards for an impressive 15 scores. In 2022, his workload began to diminish due to a hamstring injury and the emergence of Rhamondre Stevenson.

In his four seasons in a Patriots uniform, Harris averaged 4.7 yards per carry, running the ball 449 times for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was the team's leading rusher in both 2020 and 2021.

Harris never won a ring in New England, and it's a little jarring to start seeing Patriots retire who weren't around for any of the Super Bowl eras.

Harris was with the Bills on a one-year contract, so he was technically a free agent when he announced his retirement, but we could still see the Patriots to honor him with a retirement announcement.

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