Steelers/NFL
LATEST ON JAMES HARRISONLast week making the media rounds, GM Kevin Colbert hinted that big changes could be in store for the Steelers. Will James Harrison be one of them?
Sources say there is an internal battle brewing inside the organization between the coaching staff and upper management about Harrison’s future with the team.
The coaching staff has strongly made their intentions known they want Harrison back but management is not fully on board with some believing they are leaning in the direction of moving on from Harrison who has two years left on his deal and giving Jason Worilds a chance to move into the starting lineup opposite LaMarr Woodley. Worilds is entering the final of his deal in 2013 and is an unrestricted free agent at seasons end.
Harrison is due a base salary of $6.57 million in 2013 and cutting Harrison would save the Steelers approximately $5.1 million.
Harrison’s agent Bill Parise fully knowing that Harrison is going to have to restructure to return, reached out to Kevin Colbert last Friday.
“I have offered to help,” Parise told Inside Pittsburgh Sports.com.
Parise expressed an openness to rework the final two years of Harrison’s deal, but to this point there has yet to be a response from Colbert as the Steelers are just amping up their internal meetings. There has also been indication that Harrison is willing to take much of a paycut.
It took the 34 year old some time to find his mark after dealing with a knee injury to open the season but Harrison got healthier as the season went on and had 70 tackles, 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles on the season.
In the season finale vs Cleveland, Harrison had 11 tackles and 1 sack in the win. Over his last eight games, Harrison had 51 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, including games of 7, 8, 9 and 11 tackles during that span.
