Pittsburgh Steelers Release James Harrison

December 24, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) on the field against the St. Louis Rams during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 27-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced they have released 10 year veteran James Harrison.

5x Pro Bowler, 2x Super Bowl champion, 4x All Pro, 3x AFC Champion, 2x AFC Defensive Player of the Month in November 2007 and October 2009, not to mention a AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year for 2008.

James Harrison, 34 years old, is one of the hardest hitting players on the field. He doesn’t care how big or how small you were, if you are in his way, he is going to do everything he can to make sure you remember who laid you out. He has been fined several times throughout his career and has spoken out on the league and the fining system they employ.

Undrafted out of Kent State, Harrison made his debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002.

In his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has become one of the most feared defensive players in the league. You didn’t want #92 of the Steelers to run you down when you were a blocker or ball carrier who was in his line of sight.

The reason for cutting James Harrison was due to cap space related reasons after both sides couldn’t agree to a new contract. Pittsburgh was $1.4 million over the cap while Harrison was due $6.57 for this upcoming season.

Last season, key defensive players for the Pittsburgh Steelers were banged up, including Troy Polamalu who missed a handful of games and James Harrison, who battled a knee problem.

In his last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harrison recorded 70 tackles, 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 13 games.

Having one of the longest plays in Super Bowl history – a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals, Harrison should be one of the many veterans who won’t have a hard time finding a new place to call home.

Last night on Twitter, Harrison was running a contest on twitter, giving away signed footballs to lucky twitter followers. This morning, he issued out a few tweets regarding the news the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him.

He still continued his twitter contest.

Career stats as of Week 17, 2012 for James Harrison are the following: 617 tackles, 64.0 sacks, 5 interceptions, 29 forced fumbles.

Where will James Harrison land? Come back and visit us at NFL Spin Zone for a list of potential Top 5 destinations.