James Harrison is practicing in pads at St. Vincent for the first time this summer.

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Harrison was often seen donning a sweat-soaked grey sweatshirt for the first 11 practices. Coach Tomlin told media members last week that the veteran linebacker would be wearing pads with his teammates this week, and here he is as expected.

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The Steelers have re-signed OLB James Harrison to a two year deal today. The financial specifics have not yet been disclosed, but you can expect this to be a low risk, low guarantee signing.

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Harrison teased the fanbase last night when he posted a video to his Instagram account. In the video, he asked his sons to choose where he should sign, Pittsburgh or Tennessee. The boys were split between the two. Along with the video, the veteran linebacker added the following caption:

“The opinions of my support team are split, but for me, my love for the man who both started, and made my career what it is, is undeniable. There are no words that I can find that would do justice for everything Dick LeBeau has done for me & my career and nothing can compare to that! I also have a great amount of love for Steelers Nation & the Steelers organization. I’m going to pray on this and let God guide me in the right direction.”

It’s not unreasonable to suspect that the stir Harrison caused last night may have forced the team to act sooner than they intended. It seems unlikely they wanted to sign him so early.

Per Chris Bradford of the Beaver County Times, according to Harrison’s agent, Bill Parise, the Steelers have re-signed Harrison to fill a rotational role. Parise says that the choice came down to Pittsburgh or Tennessee, but there were other suitors. Ultimately, he says, the decision to re-sign him this early in the year was about giving him a full training camp to get in the best possible shape.

Harrison rushed the passer 223 times last season, and registered 6 sacks. At 37, the Steelers will not want to rely on Harrison to play 60+ snaps a week, but he’s a very productive safety net who can help with the transition from coaching staff changes.

James Harrison announced that he’s not planning to retire this year via his social media accounts last night.

https://twitter.com/jharrison9292/status/569646561023688704

The 36 year old came out of brief retirement last year to sign a one year deal with the Steelers. The deal was for the veteran minimum including a $65,000 signing bonus, which qualified for the veteran minimum salary benefit. I would expect the same deal this year if the Steelers decide to re-sign him. According to Harrison’s agent, the veteran linebacker wishes to return to Pittsburgh in 2015.

While he may not have been the James Harrison of 2008, he was a solid run defender, and was the most efficient OLB in terms of getting his hands on quarterbacks last season. Plan on the Steelers to wait for free agency to play out before bringing Harrison back if they decide to do so.

The Steelers are reportedly close to bringing back legendary outside linebacker James Harrison. According to multiple media outlets, the deal is all but done.

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The recently retired linebacker will provide depth at a position that was already thin before Jarvis Jones dislocated his wrist last night. Harrison’s agent says that the veteran linebacker is in the best shape he’s been in since 2008 or 2009. A couple hours before the news broke, Silverback posted the following video to his Instagram account.

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Roger Goodell is drawing up a fine for the signing at this very moment. 😉

Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison has announced that he is retiring from the NFL today. He made the announcement via his Facebook page.

“I have made the difficult decision to retire as of today,” Harrison wrote. “My love for my family and the need to be there for them outweighs my desire to play the game. I have missed too many experiences with them because I devoted SO much time to my career. My love for the game isn’t strong enough to make up for missing one more birthday or first day of school. I am retiring as a man who is truly grateful for all of his blessings. I am sincerely thankful to the people who have supported me over the years, first and foremost my family, the Rooney family and my Steeler family, also Mr. Brown, the Bengals organization and fans, and last but FAR from least, Steeler Nation. Thank you.”

Harrison went undrafted out of Kent St. in the 2002 draft, but went on to be one of the greatest outside linebackers to play the game. The 5 time pro bowler and 2008 DPOY was with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, and was reportedly interested in returning to Pittsburgh this year, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. Harrison had a workout in Arizona earlier this week, but his agent said they couldn’t make the numbers work.

The only fitting way to end this post is by closing with one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, and one of the most awesome things to ever happen on a football field. Thanks for the memories, Silverback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGYS6IfLZC4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9k1QtpbDXI