Steelers could release James Harrison soon

I really thought he would be here one more year, still might, they may just be playing chicken but not looking good right now.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/n...rt-steelers-could-release-james-harrison-soon

 

I think this will be one of those things that gets resolved at or near the deadline. By my numbers, the break-even point for his 2013 cap hit is to have his salary reduced from $6.57 million to $3.87 million. His dead money if cut is $6.93 million ($3.465 million in remaining bonus allocations x 2 years), and that would be his 2013 cap number if he is cut or traded. The lowest possible salary for a replacement on the top 51 salaries for the team's cap calculation is $405k. So, if you take his 2013 cap hit if cut ($6.93 million) and add the lowest possible salary for the guy that would move into position #51 on our salary list (which does not have to be an OLB), you get a minimum case cap number of $7.335 for him being cut or traded. So, if you take $7.335 million minus his $3.465 million in bonus dollars attributable to 2013, you get a $3.87 million salary for 2013. A pay cut, yes, but hardly a drop to vet minimum territory. Therefore, I doubt that the Steelers are asking him for a cut to below that amount.

Now, does James really have the ability to get more than $3.87 million for 2013 from another team? I doubt it give his injury history over the past couple of years. Also, if he is healthy this season and plays well, he is still under contract next season at over $7 million, and the team may be fine with that if he has a great 2013, so that's additional value to staying under contract. So, there's room for both sides to get to a point between $6.57 million and $3.87 million that works - probably closer to $3.87 million. I think something gets done late Monday or early Tuesday.

 

Cut Him! Then Sign Him Back!... and then? Do it again!

 

It is very unfortunate. Silverback has been one of the most enjoyable Steelers to watch over the past decade. Even though injuries are starting to catch up with him he still remains fairly productive. Not to mention few train harder than he does during the off-season.

 

Folks, I've gone back and done some research and my 2014 number was off. Per this site:
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/james-harrison/
Harrison's signing bonus was apparently only prorated over 5 years, which only results in a $1.465 million bonus cap number for 2014. This reduces my break-even to $1.87 million in base salary in 2013, which better explains why the sides are far apart. I am less optimistic about a deal getting done, because I think a contender switching to a 3-4 like New Orleans could potentially be willing to pay James $3 million for 2013. The 2014 bonus number fits the widely reported $5.1 million cut savings, so I'm pretty sure that this is right. Sorry about the screwup - the contract details can be tough to keep track of sometimes

 

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The site that I got his contract info 10 minutes ago has already shifted $4.9 million in dead money due to his release.

 

That sucks, I think he would have had a good year, he was just finally getting healthy. I know there were tough cuts to be made but I don't think this should have been one of them.