Steelers Sign James Harrison to $51.7M Deal
April 14, 2009 by David Kindervater
Filed under Pittsburgh Steelers
It wasn’t that long ago that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was an undrafted and pretty much confused football player. He was cut four times and his NFL career was on the verge of ending before it even got started. But two years ago, he got a second chance with the Steelers and broke into their starting lineup. Yesterday, he broke the bank. The Steelers signed the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player-of-the-Year to a six-year, $51.7 million contract ($20 million guaranteed).
James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers / Photo: Newscom
Aside from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ($102 million for eight years, $36 million guaranteed), this was the largest contract ever given to a Steelers player — and the largest ever to an NFL linebacker. It’s surprising in the sense that James has only been a starter for two years. But it’s hard to argue with his production — over 100 tackles and 16 sacks last season alone. Plus the famed 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Cardinals that helped win Super Bowl XLIII. With all this new money in his bank account, I wonder what what he’ll do for an encore?
Source: NFL.com
