James Harrison will wait until after the draft to sign with a team, but it won’t be the Steelers

The relationship between the Pittsburgh Steelers and James Harrison has been tested to the max. When Harrison left in free agency to join the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, fans understood.

They weren’t happy, but they understood.

All was forgiven when Harrision returned to the team in 2014, but in 2017 when reports swirled of him essentially doing whatever it takes to get himself out of Pittsburgh to sign somewhere else, it hurt.

When he joined the New England Patriots en route to their appearance in Super Bowl 52, the angst was palpable.

Well, the Patriots lost to the Eagles, and Harrison is a free agent again. Could the man they call Deebo find his way back to the black-and-gold to end his career?

HA! Don’t count on it.

This from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN:

Anyone who follows Harrison on social media knows he has already started to prepare for the upcoming season, so him returning isn’t news at all. As for his waiting till after the 2018 NFL Draft to sign with a team, chalk that up to a veteran move. Waiting for a team who may still need a pass rusher, but didn’t get one in the draft, Harrison could fill that role.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is playing time. Harrison still wants to play.

Period.

For that reason, and many others, it would be an absolute stunner of Harrison even entertained coming back to Pittsburgh. The Steelers have their starters for 2018 in T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, and the situation would be the same as 2017 prior to Harrison’s release.

Where will Harrison play in 2018? The Patriots are reportedly interested, and, according to Fowler, a lot of other organizations are showing interest as well.

Just to reiterate, the Steelers are not one of those organizations.