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Patriots Daily: Could “The Closer” Return to New England?

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New England Patriots defensive back Duron Harmon

The New England Patriots and Rutgers Scarlet Knights formed quite a bond during the 2010s. This could have resulted from Bill Belichick trusting Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. Perhaps it was due to Steve Belichick’s ties to the Scarlet Knights’ program. Whatever the reason, that decade saw 13 former Rutgers players play for New England. Nearly a quarter of all Scarlet Knights players in the NFL during that decade (23.2%) played for the Patriots.

That group was led by Devin McCourty, the Patriots longtime team captain and three-time Super Bowl champion. That other “Rutgers Patriot” with three rings in New England? Safety Duron Harmon.

Harmon earned the nickname “The Closer” for his timely interception to put games out of reach for opponents. He played seven seasons in New England (2013 to 2019) before becoming an NFL journeyman. Harmon has played for five teams over the past four years. A veteran of 186 NFL games, including the postseason, Harmon becoming well-traveled doesn’t mean he is done playing football. He played over 1,000 defensive snaps every season from 2000 to 2022. He can still play and wouldn’t mind wrapping up his NFL career where it began over a decade ago.

Harmon Open to a Reunion

Darmon Harmon talked with MassLive’s Karen Guregian on the “Eyes on Foxborough” podcast. He said he is still training to play, though he realizes his position in the NFL is more of a fallback piece. “If somebody gets hurt we’ll give you a call,” is how Harmon summarized his situation.

At this point, Harmon played for the Patriots with nearly as many New England coaches (four) as players (five). But there is no question the franchise still holds a place in his heart.

“Without a doubt that would be the perfect end to this story,” Harmon. said of finishing his NFL career with the Patriots. “I would love to be a part of something from the beginning because they’re trying to build something here. And I know they have the right people to do it.”
New England has six safeties on their 90-man roster. Starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are followed on the depth chart by Marte Mapu, Jaylinn Hawkins, Joshuah Bledsoe, and Dell Pettus. This places the Patriots in a similar boat to other NFL teams who will call Harmon if somebody gets hurt.
“If the opportunity came, I mean, that would be special,” said Darmon Harmon. “That would be a really special way to end my career.”

Watch the full episode here:

Also in Wednesday’s Patriots Daily:

Daily Patriots Fun Fact

Nine Rutgers Scarlet Knights went on to play at least 150 regular season games in the NFL, including four former New England Patriots:

206 – Clark Harris
205 – Devin McCourty
186 – Harry Swayne
179 – Jay Bellamy
174 – Bill Pickel
173 – Jason McCourty
168 – Duron Harmon
154.- Logan Ryan
151 – Shaun O’Hara

Post of the Day

Today’s post is from Boston Cream with a look back at one of the plays that helped Duron Harmon earn his nickname, “The Closer”:

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