Vic Fangio addresses Chris Harris Jr.’s absence from the team's offseason workout program

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — On Tuesday, the 2019 Denver Broncos took the practice field for the first time together during the team’s voluntary veteran minicamp.

From Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to offensive lineman Don Barclay, the full squad was nearly in perfect attendance.

That is, of course, except for Chris Harris Jr.

Harris, who has also missed the first two weeks of the team’s offseason workout program, is seeking a new contract. He appears to be staying away from the Broncos’ facility until a deal is reached.

After practice, Fangio was asked about the absence.

“It’s just part of the NFL landscape. It seems to happen a little bit each year,” he said, commenting on his star player’s absence for the first time.

Over the course of the offseason, John Elway has maintained he won’t address current player’s contracts until after the draft, which begins April 25. On April 1, Harris Jr. made his stance clear when he did not show up to the start of the team’s voluntary offseason workout program.

Tuesday, Fangio admitted he has not had any contact with his starting cornerback “since the start of the offseason program.” That means Fangio has not talked to his star cornerback in over two weeks, at least.

Instead of being at the team’s workouts, the four-time Pro Bowler is spending his time in Dallas working out on his own.

Harris Jr. has received support from teammates, including Von Miller, about the approach he is taking despite the fact it’s made him miss team activities.

The 29-year-old cornerback is entering the final year of his five-year, $42.5 million contract, which will pay him $7.9 million in cash in 2019.

Along with entering the final year of his deal, Harris Jr.’s $8.5 million annual salary currently puts him as the 23rd-highest paid cornerback. Last year, he graded out as a top-five cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.

Josh Norman, the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, is making $15 million per year, while four other cornerbacks are making over $14 million per year.

It’s not as if Elway and the Broncos haven’t spent money on this position, either.

During the offseason, the Broncos spent a combined $18 million per year on cornerbacks Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan, both of whom were in attendance on Tuesday.

There was good news from the cornerback room on Tuesday as it was revealed that Callahan, predominantly a slot corner, is ahead of schedule on the recovery of his broken foot that he sustained at the end of last season when he was a member of the Bears.

Fangio admitted Callahan could have practiced this week, but the team is holding him back a few more weeks.