The Steelers will release veteran linebacker and defensive leader James Farrior, the Post-Gazette reports. Farrior will become the latest veteran — the group also includes Hines Ward, Aaron Smith and Chris Kemoeatu — that the Steelers have cut.
Farrior got the word today and his agent, Ralph Cindrich, informed everyone else via Twitter that “he’s gone.”
Farrior’s release may bring to an end one of the bloodiest weeks in Steelers history for the length and depth of what general manager Kevin Colbert calls “terminations.”
Farrior’s release comes as no surprise, as he had lost a step, and there had been rumblings for weeks about the Steelers replacing him. There is the possibility that the Steelers could pick an inside linebacker, such as Alabama’s Dont’a Hightower, in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, although that would be more of a long-term fix than a solution for next season.
Farrior, 37, joined the Steelers in 2002 after five years with the New York Jets.
The release of Farrior saves the Steelers about $2.8 million against the salary cap.
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