92 James Harrison LB

Harrison announced his retirement Monday on Instagram.

Harrison requested his release from the Steelers in December and subsequently signed with New England, where he recorded eight tackles in three playoff games. A recent report suggested he would continue his career, but the 39-year-old linebacker apparently hasn't received any offers to his liking. Harrison did retire once before back in 2014, only to change his mind after the first few weeks of the season. A late-blooming undrafted free agent, Harrison has piled up 793 tackles, 84.5 sacks and 34 forced fumbles in 192 regular-season games, displaying rare longevity for a pass rusher. He played with the Bengals in 2013 and the Patriots at the end of last season, but otherwise spent his career in a Steelers uniform.

Harrison hopes to continue his playing career in 2018, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Prior to finishing the 2017 season with the Patriots, Harrison requested his release from the Steelers after the team lessened his role in favor of first-round rookie T.J. Watt. This time around, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2008) doesn't intend to sign with any team until after the upcoming draft. Harrison's goal is to find a landing spot that will afford him regular playing time, and there reportedly have been a number of suitors who've reached out to him this offseason.

The Patriots signed Harrison to a contract Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The 39-year-old Harrison was released by the Steelers three days earlier after seeing limited use most of the season behind first-round pick T.J. Watt, who claimed a starting role at outside linebacker out of training camp. The owner of 82.5 career sacks, Harrison seems unlikely to be used as anything more than a situational pass rusher in New England, but his addition at least gives the Patriots some extra coverage on the edge with Kyle Van Noy (calf) having missed the team's last three games.

The Steelers opted to release Harrison on Saturday.

Harrison, the Steelers' all-time sack leader, has been with the team since they signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002. Despite being on the active roster, the 39-year-old has only suited up for six of the team's previous seven games. If this is the end of the road for the veteran linebacker, he will finish his career with 788 tackles (570 solo) and 82.5 sacks,.

Harrison (knee) was not listed on the Steelers' final injury report heading into Monday's game versus the Bengals.

Harrison did not practice Thursday or Friday, but logged a full workload Saturday. It looks like the team was just being cautious with the veteran in order to allow him time to recover before Monday's game. Assuming he avoids any setbacks, look for him to take on his usual role in Week 13.

Harrison (knee) did not participate in practice Thursday.

Harrison continues to miss time with an assortment of injuries, as he has only played in four games this season. Look for more updates on his status to come over the next handful of days.

Harrison is listed as inactive for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Harrison, who had been dealing with a back injury, practiced in full Wednesday, but the veteran linebacker will still end up being a healthy scratch from the Steelers' lineup Sunday. Harrison has only appeared in four games for Pittsburgh this season.

Harrison (back) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Harrison, who's only appeared in four of 10 games this season, has been dealing with injuries on a weekly basis. Fortunately, he seems to be starting off this week on the right foot and looks to be on track to play Sunday night against the Packers.

Harrison (back) is inactive for Thursday's contest against the Titans.

Harrison has only been active for four games this season, playing a total of 29 defensive snaps. The next opportunity for the 39-year-old veteran to return to action will come next Sunday against the Packers.

Harrison (back) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Titans.

Harrison has missed the last two games with this back injury, but even when he's active, he is very limited in his defensive snap count. Therefore, there's no need to rush back the 39-year-old linebacker, so don't be surprised if he spends another game on the sidelines.

Harrison (back) was limited in practice Tuesday, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Harrison has missed the past two contests as he continues to nurse a back injury. The 39-year-old has only played in four contests this season due to various injuries, so it seems unlikely the Steelers would rush him back for Thursday night's game unless he is completely healthy.

Harrison (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts.

Harrison missed the Steelers' Week 7 victory over the Lions before heading into the bye week. The veteran was unable to recover during that extra time off and will miss his second consecutive game. He will now shoot for a Week 11 return.

Harrison has a back injury and did not participate at the Steelers' practice Wednesday.

It's unclear when Harrison sustained the injury, as the Steelers are coming out of their bye week. The 39-year-old has battled multiple ailments and played in only three games this season, recording three solo tackles and a sack. The veteran linebacker is illustrating major wear-and-tear in his 15th NFL season and remains off the IDP radar.

Harrison collected three tackles (all solo), including a sack in Pittsburgh's 19-13 win over Kansas City.

The 39-year-old veteran has been limited this season, but his late fourth quarter sack helped seal the win over the Chiefs. It's nice to see that Harrison still has some gas left in the tank, although not enough to warrant IDP consideration.

Harrison is active for Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Harrison has only suited up for two games this season, logging a combined seven defensive snaps. It's clear the Steelers are shifting their focus to talented rookie first-round pick, T.J. Watt, so Harrison shouldn't be considered an IDP threat anymore.

Harrison (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Harrison couldn't play in Week 4 due to illness, but now he's seemingly being held out for other reasons since he didn't miss any practices all week. He had been quite limited behind rookie first-round pick T.J. Watt anyways, logging only seven defensive snaps across his two games on the season.

Harrison (illness) wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Harrison couldn't play against the Ravens in Week 4, but barring any setbacks, he'll be ready for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Still, he's playing second fiddle to T.J. Watt in the Steelers' linebackers unit, meaning he likely won't fetch enough snaps to be fantasy relevant.

Harrison is inactive for Sunday's game against Baltimore due to illness, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Harrison missed practice Friday due to his undisclosed illness and he has yet to recover. His absence could lead to some extra snaps for Arthur Moats behind starting outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

Harrison lost his starting role to rookie T.J. Watt this preseason, Dave Lolley of the Washington Observer-Reporter reports.

There's no shame in losing a starting role to a youthful first-round draft pick, especially when you look at Watt's ability to terrorize quarterbacks. Harrison still shows no signs of slowing down, recording 53 tackles and five sacks last season over 15 games, his best campaign since 2012. Expect him to be the first man off the bench when needed, but the reduction in snaps likely will take him away from true fantasy relevance.

Harrison signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the Steelers on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Harrison will turn 39 in May, but the veteran pass rusher hasn't shown many signs of slowing down. He had 50 tackles, including 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception in 2016. He may see a slightly reduced role on defense to keep him fresh, but will likely still be one of the team's starting outside linebackers.