Minnesota Vikings Safety Anthony Harris Signs Franchise Tender

Anthony Harris has announced that he will sign the franchise tender that was placed on him by the Minnesota Vikings.

Harris will return to the Vikings on a one-year fully guaranteed deal worth $11.4 million. The unrestricted free agent find in 2015 for the Vikings has blossomed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. Last season, Harris finished with six interceptions, 60 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and a tackle for loss.

It was widely speculated throughout the offseason that Harris could either be released or traded due to the high money demands that his play has earned. With the Vikings in a tight situation in regards to the salary cap, it didn't look promising for the team to be able to hold on to Harris. For the first time since Chad Greenway, the team elected to place the franchise tender on Harris to try and work out a long-term deal.

Harris took to Twitter to announce that he would sign the tender and that his agent and the Vikings will continue to work towards a new contract.

As mentioned before, Harris joined the Vikings in 2015 following the NFL Draft. He spent his first few seasons mostly on special teams before moving into a starting role a couple of years ago. Playing next to Harrison Smith has helped Harris develop into one of the top players in the NFL today.

This move also keeps some consistency with the Vikings after an offseason that featured multiple defensive players moving on. Long-time starters Everson Griffin, Linval Joseph, Xavier Rhodes, and Trae Waynes have all moved on to new teams or are still sitting in free agency. With those starters gone, having Harris back will give some younger guys, especially in the secondary, another veteran presence.

Minnesota and Harris have until July 15 to agree on that new long-term deal.