Former Patriots, Bills RB Damien Harris announces retirement from NFL at 27

Damien Harris has announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 27 and after five seasons.

Harris made the announcement Monday night on his Instagram.

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“For the past 20 years, playing the game of football has been one of the greatest privileges in my life,” Harris wrote. “Getting to represent the name on the back of my jersey on and off the field, getting to compete at the highest level with and against the best competitors while winning championships, and being coached by the two greatest head coaches of all-time in Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are all just a small part of what God has done in my life with the game of football.

“The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and will go on to go, the experiences and memories I’ve made, the impact I’ve been able to make to this point, these are the things that mean the most to me. Gratitude is defined as ‘the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.’ Today, I am grateful I have found the strength to walk away from the game I love so much.”

Damien Harris walks away after productive career in the NFL

Harris spent the first four seasons of his career with the Patriots. New England selected him in the third-round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He appeared in 38 games in New England, rushing for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry. Harris tallied a career-high 929 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. He signed a one-year deal with the Bills last offseason. Harris played in just six games in 2023, suffering a neck injury in Week 6 against the New York Giants.

Harris was part of two Alabama national championship-winning teams (2015, 2017). He rushed for 3,070 yards in four seasons, becoming the Crimson Tide’s ninth all-time leading rusher. Harris earned a second-team All-SEC nod in 2018.