Harrison’s contract is viewed as a “three year deal”

Official details of James Harrison’s 6 year - $51.7 million contract have emerged this week. As expected the deal is viewed as a three year deal.

According to James Walker of ESPN, here is the breakdown.

Harrison received a $10-million signing bonus up front and a $2.555-million roster bonus for the 2009 season. Harrison's base salary in 2009 is $800,000. The notion that the Steelers wouldn’t give James Harrison more guaranteed money upfront than Troy Polamalu is true as Polamalu received $15.75 million upfront in year one of the deal he signed in 2007.

In 2010, Harrison's base salary drops to $755,000 and he also has a reporting bonus of $2.8 million. In 2011, Harrison's salary jumps to $3.66 million and includes $900,000 roster bonus.

In year 4, Harrison’s salary jumps to $5.315 million, Year 5 - $6.32 million and Year 7, Harrison’s base salary jumps to $7.325 million.

At age 32, it is likely a guarantee that Harrison will be around for only the next three years as he will be 35 in the fourth year of the deal. The Steelers clearly won out in this deal.