FOXBORO, Mass. — Playing linebacker in the NFL is mostly a young man’s game.
Case in point: Former New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo retired last offseason at just 30 years old.
But David Harris, who signed with the Patriots this summer after being cut by the New York Jets, didn’t even consider hanging up his cleats at age 33.
“Never,” Harris said. “I still love playing football. I don’t know where that even came from.”
Fair point, David. And health certainly has never been an issue for Harris, who has missed just five games in his 10-year career — one in 2016 and four in 2009.
“My love for the game has never wavered,” Harris said. “I just had to find a new team, and the team is the Patriots.”
Harris has a chance to earn a starting role with the Patriots, playing next to Dont’a Hightower, and anything else would be foreign to the linebacker, who has started 147 of his 154 career games. He’s just happy for the opportunity, however.
“I’m trying to pick up the playbook as fast as possible, and it’s up to coaches who plays,” Harris said. “I’m trying to do my job when my number’s called.
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports Images
