The New England Patriots are trading safety Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday.
The Lions have already agreed to terms with linebacker Jamie Collins and defensive tackle Danny Shelton, both of whom played for the Patriots in 2019. Harmon would be the third Patriots’ starter to head to Detroit with coach Matt Patricia, who served as New England’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017.
Harmon, a leader in New England’s locker room, finished 2019 with 22 tackles, two interceptions and five pass deflections while playing 65% percent of snaps. He’ll leave behind a safety group which includes Devin McCourty Patrick Chung and Terrance Brooks, among others.
New England is currently strapped for cap space. Trading Harmon alleviates some space. The Patriots will have $4.25 million in additional cap space, even after Harmon leaves behind $1.25 million in dead money, per Spotrac.
New England’s free agency period has been more about departures than acquisitions. First and foremost, Tom Brady is headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy and guard Ted Karras are headed to the Miami Dolphins. And as mentioned, Harmon, Collins and Shelton are headed to Detroit to join former Patriots Trey Flowers and Danny Amendola.
