The NFL is a business, and the New England Patriots made a business decision when they traded safety and former defensive captain Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions two weeks ago.
Harmon, appearing on the “Double Coverage Podcast” with Devin and Jason McCourty, revealed what Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told him following the trade.
“At the end of the day you have to look at it from both sides,” Harmon said. “At the time, at the moment you hear you got traded and you’re like, ‘Aww, man.’ But, then you sit back and look at it and the Patriots had to make some decisions. We had the opportunity to play last year with so many great defensive players. It was so many players everywhere, and just with the salary cap, I understand the decision. When I talked to Bill he told me what the decision was based on and he told me, ‘Look, it is just at the point where we have to make some moves and we just paid Dev, it’s just going to be really tough to really do anything, or get anything done in free agency if we don’t do this.’
“And he was just telling me it’s going to be a great opportunity for me (in Detroit). I respect that because at the end of the day we know Bill is going to do what is best for the team and I respect that because not a lot of people can do that and have that commitment and dedication that the team is first.”
The trade reunited Harmon with his former defensive coordinator, Lions head coach Matt Patricia. Harmon, a third-round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Rutgers, played in four Super Bowls with the Patriots, winning three.
The Patriots acquired a fifth-round pick for Harmon and a seventh-rounder in a cap-cutting move. The Patriots since signed two safeties, Adrian Phillips and Cody Davis.
