Bob Quinn's front office staff in Detroit continues to take shape.
Friday, the Lions' general manager hired former New York Giants director of football operations Matt Harriss as his new vice president of football administration. It's believed Harriss will have a big role in managing the Lions' salary cap, though Quinn will ultimately oversee the cap.
Harriss was in New York for 10 seasons after joining the organization just prior to the 2006 NFL Draft. In his first year with the Giants, Harriss assisted former general manager Ernie Accorsi, who was in his final season with the team.
Accorsi consulted Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford, the Ford family and team president Rod Wood in their GM search that led to the hiring of Quinn.
Harriss then worked closely with assistant general manager Kevin Abrams on all aspects of the salary cap, CBA compliance and player contract negotiations.
Prior to joining the Giants, Harriss spent five seasons in the NFL league office. He began as an intern in the football operations department in September of 2001, and by December he became a player personnel analyst for the Management Council.
His responsibilities included salary cap and free agency management, annual NFL draft eligibility, as well as having extensive knowledge on all personnel rules in order to assist the 32 NFL teams.
Also in his time at the league office, Harriss worked with the officiating department as an instant replay booth communicator during games.
The Lions could potentially have $30 million or more in cap space this offseason.
