Scott's deal could impact Harrison

BasX · Mar 3, 2009

Perhaps it would have been better for the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach an agreement with outside linebacker James Harrison before free agency.

The type of money thrown around last weekend likely raised a lot of eyebrows in the respective camps of Harrison and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As of last week, the two sides remained far apart in negotiations.

Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott got a $48 million contract over six years from the New York Jets, an average of $8 million per year. This particular deal could be a major factor in Pittsburgh's ongoing talks with its Pro Bowl linebacker.

Scott's deal likely raised the bar for Harrison, who put up better numbers than his former AFC North counterpart and was the NFL's defensive player of the year in 2008. They both play the same position of outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, so they're very comparable.

Would the Steelers be willing to go at or above $50 million to keep Harrison for six years? That remains to be seen as Pittsburgh rarely dishes out that kind of money. Perhaps providing a shorter contract (three or four years?) at the same average salary could be a middle ground.

Or would Harrison take a hometown discount to get a deal done and stay with the defending Super Bowl champions long term? That's an interesting option as well. But either way Harrison has to be looking at Scott's deal right now and feeling like he deserves market value.

As both sides continue their back-and-forth, expect Scott's name to come up quite a bit in these negotiations.
Click to expand...

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nflnation/0-6-79/Scott-s-deal-could-impact-Harrison.html

Log in or Sign up

Scott's deal could impact Harrison

BasX I Win

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Scott's deal could impact Harrison

BasX I Win

Share This Page

Useful Searches