Former New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon will play his first NFL season outside of Foxborough in 2020.
Harmon spent seven seasons in New England and was traded to the Detroit Lions when free agency began. While appearing on the ‘Double Coverage Podcast’, hosted by Jason and Devin McCourty, Harmon revealed what Belichick said about the trade.
“At the end of the day you have to look at it from both sides,” Harmon said, transcribed by WEEI. “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 (Belichick) 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 Patriots received a seventh and fifth-round pick in the trade, while also saving around $4.5 million against the salary cap. Harmon is now paired up with former Patriots defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, who spent four seasons coaching and guiding Harmon.
New England lost Harmon and Nate Ebner, while signing Adrian Phillips and Cody Davis as replacements at the safety position. The Patriots still have Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Terrence Brooks from last season.
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