Underpaid Harris willing to wait his turn

With the drama over the Darrelle Revis holdout escalating by the minute, another of the Jets' key young players awaiting a new contract barely makes a peep. This though David Harris, one of the best linebackers in the NFL, will be the lowest-paid starter on the Jets defense.

"I know the situation I'm in, and I can't do anything about it except be patient,'' Harris said. "Walking around here and pouting isn't going to change anything, and my contract isn't going to help me play any better, so I just have to go out there and be the same player I was before.''

That is refreshing to hear from a guy who is making only $550,000 this year and knows he can't cash in on his early success with a big contract until next year. Harris is in the final year of the four-year deal he signed in 2007, and because of contract rules related to the uncapped NFL season, it's virtually impossible for the Jets to sign Harris to a lucrative long-term deal.

So he bides his time, prepares as if this season is like any other, and waits his turn as one of the Jets Core Four. Two of those players, offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold, have agreed to long-term extensions. Revis still is holding out, waiting for his deal to get done or, should we say, if his deal will get done.

But there will be no daily drama from the 26-year-old linebacker, who is perfectly content to fly under the radar.

"No, I don't mind that at all,'' he said. "I'm not going to try to put on a show for anyone or for the cameras. I just try to be me.''

Even so, it's not necessarily easy for a player of Harris' caliber to block out the frequent references to his contract. Or the seemingly unending speculation surrounding Revis, who is likely to get a deal that will make him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.

"It's easy to block it out,'' he said. "If you start thinking about the contract, that's when bad things happen and you don't play up to your standards. You let it influence your play, and I don't want that to happen.''

Harris quietly has emerged as one of the fiercest and most effective inside linebackers in the game. He led the Jets with 127 tackles and had five sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles last season. Overlooked in the Pro Bowl voting, which is often a popularity contest and misses deserving players, Harris was voted second-team All Pro.

Deserving of a new contract? No question. But he prefers to wait until next season, when he won't be constricted by the rules. And if there's a lockout next year, then he knows he'll get his payday in 2012.

That contract will make Harris a Jet for life, according to his agent, Brian Mackler. "There's no doubt in my mind that's what the Jets want to do,'' Mackler said. "David loves being a Jet, and he wants to retire a Jet.''

If he keeps playing as well as he has the first three years, that could happen. In a league in which players don't often remain with the same team their entire career, Harris could be the exception. Just like his idol, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

"Ray Lewis sets the standard for a player at my position,'' Harris said. "The guy's going to the Hall of Fame.''

When Harris was growing up as a Lions fan, it was middle linebacker Chris Spielman who captured his imagination.

"That was my hometown team, and I really liked him because he was always around the ball,'' Harris said. "He wasn't the biggest guy, but he was a very intelligent, hard-nosed player who was always consistent in his play.''

The same can be said of Harris, who consistently has been the Jets' most reliable tackler. He and Bart Scott form arguably the most impressive inside linebacker tandem in the game. The only difference between the two: a pile of money. While Harris is making chump change by NFL standards, Scott was signed last year to a six-year, $48-million contract.

Harris isn't worried; he'll get his.

"The thing to do now is just worry about football,'' he said. "That's all I can do, really. That's all I want to do.''

Refreshing, isn't it?