New England Patriots: James Harrison announces retirement
The New England Patriots will have to look elsewhere for a veteran linebacker, as James Harrison announced his retirement from the NFL.
The New England Patriots linebackers are going to look different in 2018. It is an area of need for the team, as injuries really derailed them last season. James Harrison helped stabilize the position near the end of the regular season.
Harrison was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the final game of the regular season. He wasted no time finding a new team, as the Patriots signed him. He showed that he still had something left in the tank. There were also reports that it was reasonable to believe that Harrison would be returning to the Patriots.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, that reunion will not be happening. Harrison, who will be turning 40-years old on May 4th, has decided to step away from the NFL after 15 seasons.
Harrison shared an Instagram post with photos of his children to announce his retirement.
https://instagram.com/p/BhoRWoKn4Il/?utm_source=ig_embed
His family was a big reason for Harrison deciding to retire. He told ESPN that when he retired, his son would be allowed to play tackle football.
"“I told my son [James III] he could play contact football when I stop, so I’m going to have to give it up in the near future, so he can start getting adjusted to playing. I don’t want him to wait too long.”"
Despite being 39-years old, Harrison was productive for the Patriots after they signed him. He made an impact right away. In his first game with New England, against the New York Jets, Harrison recorded two sacks, five tackles and forced a fumble.
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Harrison didn’t record a sack in the postseason, but quickly became an integral part of the Patriots defensive rotation. He saw his snap counts increase in every game he played with New England, including 68 snaps in the Super Bowl, which was 91 percent of the Patriots defensive snaps in the game.
Harrison was one of the most vaunted pass rushers in the NFL during his playing career. He is the all-time sack leader in Steelers history, recording 80.5 sacks in his time there. He totaled 84.5 in his career with 573 tackles, 222 assists on tackles, eight interceptions, 26 passes defended, 34 forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries.
Arguably Harrison’s most memorable highlight came in Super Bowl 43 when he intercepted Kurt Warner and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.
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This is the second time that Harrison is announcing his retirement from the NFL. He did it in Aug. 2014 but was back with the Steelers by September that year.