Schlereth: Harris deserves top CB money, Broncos days likely numbered

While the prospect of the lone remaining member of the “No Fly Zone” leaving the Denver Broncos is disappointing to Mark Schlereth, the “Schlereth and Evans” co-host said his gut feeling is Chris Harris Jr. is “more likely than not” on another team come the 2019 regular season.

Reacting to reports that Harris has given the Broncos an ultimatum of either a contract extension or a trade, Schlereth said the percentage of him playing somewhere else besides Denver is between 60 and 70 percent.

“Just my initial reaction, my gut here, is telling me that Chris Harris Jr. more likely than not … plays somewhere else next year,” Schlereth said.

It’s a situation, spurred on by general manager John Elway’s comments during a pre-draft press conference Tuesday, that Schlereth said has been “handled poorly” by Broncos management.

Asked why he previously said the team would address Harris’ contract situation after this week’s NFL Draft, Elway said, “I don’t have time right now. I’m busy with the draft. We’ll talk about Chris. He’s under contract, so we’ll talk about that when the draft is over.

“When I say this, I said we’re going to talk about it. It doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”

Said Schlereth: “Now, Chris Harris Jr. is going to have to be willing to sit out for a year because he is under contract. But this was handled poorly by John Elway. And I’m, personally, on the Chris Harris Jr. side.”

Harris — who ranks as the 24th-highest paid cornerback in the NFL in terms of average yearly salary at $8.5 million — deserves to be paid among the top players at his position, Schlereth said.

“The top guys are making $15 a year. And he has played through his contract,” Schlereth said. “I know he has one more year left. But he has outperformed that contract, and he deserves to be paid as a top-paid cornerback.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.