David Harris' oldest daughter wanted to go to New Jersey for her spring break trip recently. She was only about 4 or 5 years old when her father was still playing for the Jets, so she doesn't remember much.
When the Harris family landed in Newark, their first stop was at 1 Jets Drive.
"It was a great feeling to be back and show my kids what their dad used to do," Harris said on a recent edition of "The Official Jets Podcast." "It was good for them to see and become a part of my world a little bit because, for their childhoods now, I've been a dad in Ann Arbor, going to their games."
The last time Harris was here was in June 2017.
"It's crazy it's been nine years. It feels like it's only been a couple years," Harris said. "That time flew by … But this is always home."
Harris was a star linebacker who played for 10 years for the Green & White. After all this time, it's not the interceptions, forced fumbles, passes defended or specific tackles that stand out — it's how "available" he was on the field.
"Being able to play 10 years for a franchise has been a huge blessing for me," Harris said. "I never thought I would be able to play that long before I came to the NFL and just the memories, the players and coaches had an impact on me and the memories I keep with me to this day."
He said it's hard to miss playing football when the physical aspect of it is so taxing, but those moments in the locker room are what Harris yearns for.
"You don't get that [camaraderie] anywhere else but the locker room," Harris said. "[My teammates] made coming to work a blast. You'd look forward to coming to work because you know that the personalities in that locker room would keep everything going, keep spirits up and you all try and fight and strive for the same goal."
Now Harris' goal is a little different — he wants to run a marathon in under four hours.
"It's something to keep me busy, keep me in shape, keep me healthy because I know with a lot of guys when they get done with playing tend to go the other way," Harris said with a laugh.
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In 2019, D'Brickashaw Ferguson gave him the running "bug" after he gave Harris a Garmin watch. He ran his first half-marathon in the summer of 2023 and ran his first full marathon just a few months later in October.
"It was just sitting in my closet for all those years, and I actually opened the box and looked at it and tried it out and was like let me put it to use," Harris said. "So, I started doing runs around the neighborhood and started going further and further and further.
"I fell in love with running ever since."
In the few marathons Harris completed, he came close to his target time, finishing in four hours one minute. But aside from running, Harris' other goal revolves around his family and hoping his children have memorable childhoods.
"You have to make sure you take advantage of this time because you don't get it back," Harris said. When he gave his two daughters and son a tour of the Jets facility he "showed them what's possible if you keep doing the right thing and keep dreaming."
