What Damien Harris had to say about his time with the Patriots

The Patriots have made quite a few moves in free agency so far, especially when signing some talented players to join the team. Fortunately, they haven’t lost many integral pieces of the team thus far, but Jakobi Meyers and Damien Harris’ departures were definitely a hit to the fanbase.

Harris’ free agency went under the radar, with most of the attention focused on Meyers. There were no updates or reports on conversations between the Patriots and the running back, and not much was mentioned regarding teams showing interest in signing him, either.

That changed on Tuesday when Adam Schefter announced Harris was signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, one of the least desirable spots for him to land from a Patriots’ fan perspective.

Because of Belichick’s presumed lack of interest in re-signing the 26-year-old, his choosing to move to a divisional rival made it seem that there may be bad blood between them. But his first interview in Buffalo seemingly put that concern to rest.

When asked how it will feel to face his former team twice a season, Harris said he’s actually looking forward to it.

"“It’ll definitely be exciting to see a bunch of familiar faces and people that I got a lot of love for. And a lot of great relationships that I formed over the years, the last four years. It’ll definitely be great to see those familiar faces twice a year.”"

He later discussed all that he’s learned over the years, citing unforgettable teachings from Nick Saban during his time at the University of Alabama and some of the most important things he learned being coached by Bill Belichick for four years.

"“I should be able to write a book with all the knowledge I’ve gained from those two. I would say just the things I’ve taken from both of them is how to be a professional and how to conduct yourself in a professional manner from the way you show up every day ready to work, the mentality you have, the way that you affect others. And then, obviously, the way that you prepare and you perform. Professionalism, I feel like it covers so much ground, so many things.That word is really just what resonates with me. I feel like with coach Saban at Alabama, he introduced me to what it means to be a professional and how to become a professional. And then once I got to New England, one thing that coach Belichick was great at teaching was how to maintain that level of professionalism, that way you can maintain success throughout your career. So, I wanna be a pro’s pro. I wanna do everything the right way.”"

It’s always unfortunate to see a great player so beloved by the fans go to another team, especially a current rival. But when a guy like Harris lands with a good team that needs his talent to put their team over the top, it’s hard not to root for his success even more, just not in the games when they play the Patriots, of course.