Chris Harris (born August 6, 1982) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who is the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the sixth round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

after playing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it becam ...

. Harris also played with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

, and has coached with the Bears, San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers,

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

, and

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

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

Chicago Bears (first stint)

Harris was selected by the

in the sixth round (181st overall) of the

. He won the starting role at

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

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 The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

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 Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...

. 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 Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...

in the first quarter of the game; however, the Bears would go on to lose the game 29–17.

Carolina Panthers

Harris was traded to the

on August 2, 2007, for a

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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 Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...

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 All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

-selection. On October 27, 2011, Harris was released by the Bears.

Detroit Lions

The

claimed him off waivers on October 28, 2011.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Harris was signed by the

on October 15, 2012. He was later released on November 28. On January 26, 2013, Harris announced his retirement.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Coaching career

Chicago Bears

On January 28, 2013, Harris was hired by the Bears as a defensive quality control coach. He was not retained by new Bears head coach John Fox in 2015.

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

Harris joined the San Diego Chargers as their assistant defensive backs coach in 2016.

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Harris joined the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

as their defensive backs coach in 2020.

Tennessee Titans

On January 21, 2023, the

hired Harris as their defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Following the 2023 season, Harris was retained by new head coach

Brian Callahan Brian Callahan (born June 10, 1984) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cinc ...

in the same role. On January 27, 2025, it was announced that Harris and the Titans would be parting ways.

New York Jets

On January 31, 2025, the

hired Harris to serve as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.

References

External links

Tennessee Titans profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Chris 1982 births Living people Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas American football safeties Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players Chicago Bears players Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Jacksonville Jaguars players San Diego Chargers coaches Tennessee Titans coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Washington Commanders coaches Washington Football Team coaches Brian Piccolo Award winners Coaches of American football from Arkansas Chicago Bears coaches