Steelers: James Harrison re-signs for six years

LB's contract worth $51 million

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
By Ed Bouchette and Colin Dunlap, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

James Harrison

The Steelers have signed linebacker James Harrison to a new contract that will pay him $51,175,000 over the next six years.

Harrison, the NFL's 2008 defensive player of the year, will receive $20 million in bonus money.

An official announcement will be made today at a news conference.

Harrison would have been going into the final year of a contract.

"We are quite happy, as you can imagine," said Bill Parise, Harrison's Beaver County-based agent.

"We are happy that James will remain in Pittsburgh, and this contract is certainly representative of a great marriage between a great franchise and a great football player."

Harrison, who will turn 31 May 4, has had quite a spike in his career since signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He was cut a few times by the Steelers, briefly signed by the Baltimore Ravens and spent time in NFL Europe before settling in with the Steelers, becoming a regular contributor toward the end of the 2004 season.

In Super Bowl XLIII in February, Harrison turned in the longest play in Super Bowl history, returning an interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half in what would become a 27-23 victory against the Cardinals.

"The play in the Super Bowl just let other people, who might not see it all the time, realize what James Harrison has been doing all along since getting his chance," Parise said.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Colin Dunlap can be reached at cdunlap@post-gazette.com.
First published on April 14, 2009 at 12:00 am


Harrison, Steelers agree to $51 million deal

By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

James Harrison, the only undrafted free agent ever to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, broke new ground again Monday.

And the record contract he agreed to with the Steelers all but ensures that the All-Pro outside linebacker will finish his career in Pittsburgh.

The six-year deal could be worth as much as $51.175 million, and it includes $20 million in guaranteed money. It's the largest contract the Steelers have given to a defensive player.

Only the eight-year, $102 million deal that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger signed last March exceeds what Harrison got from the team that previously cut him three times.

The Steelers will officially announce the signing of Harrison at 3 p.m. today at news conference. The team had no comment Monday.

"James is very pleased," said Bill Parise, Harrison's agent. "He had made it very clear to me that he wanted to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. I think he's a little relieved that that's going to be taken care of."

Harrison had been entering into the final year of a four-year contract he signed in 2006. Locking him up with a long-term deal was the Steelers' top offseason priority.

Parise and the Steelers started talking less than a week after the Steelers won the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

The two sides made a major breakthrough late last week and finalized the contract yesterday morning.

The possibility of the NFL going to an uncapped year after 2009 made putting a deal together for Harrison "terribly difficult," Parise said.

One clause that would be triggered in the event that the salary cap is scrapped: base salaries can't exceed by more than 30 percent the salary of the first year of the contract.

If that limited how creative the Steelers and Parise could be in working out a new deal, it also, in part, explains why it took more than three months for the two sides to reach an agreement.

"The Steelers and I have a great relationship, and I think that helped us grind our way through," Parise said. "We never got to the point of frustration with one another."

Parise says he believes Harrison's deal is the most lucrative in NFL history for a linebacker. It is similar to the six-year, $48 million deal that outside linebacker Bart Scott signed with the New York Jets at the end of February.

The Steelers previously acknowledged that Harrison outplayed the $5.5 million deal he signed with the team in April 2006.

Since taking over for Joey Porter at right outside linebacker in 2007, Harrison has made consecutive Pro Bowls. In 2008, he set the Steelers' single-season record with 16 sacks and was honored as the NFL's premier defensive player.

He capped his season with one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history, not to mention one that loomed large in the Steelers' 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

On the final play of the first half, Harrison returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. It's the longest play in Super Bowl history.

Harrison, who didn't stick with the Steelers for good until 2004, turns 31 at the beginning of next month.

Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert has said the 6-foot, 242-pounder's age isn't a concern because Harrison still is relatively young, given that he's been a starter in the NFL for only two seasons.

Harrison's deal should allow him to finish his career where it started.

"That was one of our goals," Parise said. "James is extremely happy about it."

Note: The NFL will release the 2009 regular-season schedule at 7 tonight on the NFL Network. Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes will be among those appearing on an ESPN special that analyzes the schedule. The three-hour special will air from 7-8 p.m. on ESPN2 and from 8-10 p.m. on ESPN.


Taking care of their own

James Harrison became the latest Steelers player to snag on a big contract. The outside linebacker's six-year deal could be worth as much as $51.171 million, including $20 million in guaranteed money. Here's a look at some recent contracts signed by Steelers players:

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, March 2008: Eight-year, $102 million, includes $36 million in guaranteed money.

Troy Polamalu, S, July 2007: Five-year, $33 million, includes $15 million in guaranteed money.

Aaron Smith, DE, February 2007: Five-year, $25 million, includes at least $8 million in guaranteed money.