Minnesota Vikings guard Mike Harris hopes for long term deal
By Adam Carlson
Minnesota Vikings right guard Mike Harris is having a breakout year in 2015, and he hopes that he performance can net him a long-term deal with the team.
The Minnesota Vikings make a bold decision prior to the 2015 season when they moved right guard Brandon Fusco to the left side and held an open competition for his previous job. Eventually, Mike Harris won the spot and has shown that he was the correct choice for the gig.
According to Pro Football Focus, Harris is their 26th ranked guard out of 81 who qualify for a grade. He’s been one of the only solid parts of the offensive line, with others struggling with injury or inconsistency.
Harris is in the final year of his deal with the Minnesota Vikings, but he hopes that his breakout season will help keep him a part of the squad in the future. In fact, he recently spoke with the Pioneer Press about hoping for a long-term deal with the team.
"“That’s the hope,” Harris said. “It’d be wonderful. It’d be a dream come true. … If something like that were to happen, it would be awesome.”"
It wasn’t that long ago that players couldn’t be paid enough to want to come to Minnesota or stay with the Vikings. Big name free agents would come and go, with the team having to throw massive amounts of money at players in order to get them to stay.
But things seem to be much different with the young team that the Minnesota Vikings have, especially under the leadership of head coach Mike Zimmer. Players seem to want to stay with the team, and from the sound of things, Mike Zimmer would love to have Harris back in the future.
"“He’s played well,” Zimmer said. “Mike’s a tough guy. … He’s got size that keeps guys from getting around him, but he’s physical in the running game.”"
Hopefully, the Minnesota Vikings and Mike Harris can work out a deal to keep the bruising blocker with the team for several years. He’s the type of guy that could be a starter but has also been unselfish over the years while waiting for his opportunity to prove his worth.