The New England Patriots have traded safety Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The teams reportedly exchanged late-round picks as part of the transaction. This move reunites Harmon with head coach and former Patriots defensive coordiantor Matt Patricia while the New England Patriots receive $4.5 million in cap relief.
This is a flip of late-round picks. https://t.co/aNNHwXfIgl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020
New England Patriots Trade Duron Harmon to Detroit Lions
Duron Harmon initially entered the NFL as a third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Selected by the New England Patriots, Harmon spent the entirety of his career under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. Additionally, the Rutgers product played under defensive coordinator and current Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia from his rookie season until the end of the 2017 season.
Harmon is far from the first Patriot to find his way into Detroit. In this offseason alone, the Lions have also signed Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton to long-term deals. Since Patricia took over, the Lions have also added from Patriots Danny Amendola, Trey Flowers, and Justin Coleman, just to name a few.
Harmon spent the majority of his career serving as a “center fielder” type of safety behind star Devin McCourty. New England would often drop McCourty into the box and bring in Harmon as a third safety to take away the deep part of the field. The Rutgers product has a reputation as a game-sealer, as the vast majority of his interceptions came in the fourth quarter of games. His most famous interception probably came in the 2014 AFC Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens. Nursing a 35-31 lead, Harmon intercepted a Joe Flacco pass in the endzone intended for Torrey Smith. This interception essentially sealed the deal for New England and led eventually led to the Patriots winning Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks three weeks later.
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