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Amidst all of the crazy news surrounding Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, as well as the situation in Boston, there was a football headline that kind of went under-the-radar: former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison found a new team, and he's not going very far:
Whodey!!!!!!!!!!! Hello Cincinnati!!!!
— James Harrison (@jharrison9292) April 19, 2013
That's right -- Harrison is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, as the veteran linebacker agreed to a two-year deal Friday afternoon. That should add a lot of intensity to the rivalry between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and both teams play each other in prime time twice this season. The Browns will first encounter Harrison in Week 4, when they host the Bengals at home.
It is not clear how much it cost the Bengals to sign Harrison, who will still earn about $5 million from the Steelers in 2013. Pittsburgh had to release him to clear some cap space, as he was originally scheduled to have about $10 million count against the cap.
Behind the Steel Curtain talked up Harrison's abilities when providing a scouting report on Harrison:
"Don't let people think he was cut because he's in decline," Neal Coolong who manages the great website Behind the Steel Curtain, told me on Sunday when it looked like an agreement was in the works. "He looked much stronger the second half of the season, which, not coincidentally, was two months removed from knee surgery."
"The Steelers only cut him after offering him a cap-related pay cut," Coolong said. "They wanted him back."
At least Mohamed Massaquoi won't have to worry about Harrison this year; he now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that Cincinnati does not play in 2013. What do you think about Harrison going to the Bengals, Browns fans? Does he make them a stronger contender, or do you think he's past his prime?