IRVING, Texas - Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison finished ahead of DeMarcus Ware in the league's Defensive Player of the Year voting, and it appears he may rake in a huge contract extension before Ware does as well.
The Steelers are hard at work trying to hammer out a new contract for Harrison, according to ESPN.com. Harrison had 16.0 sacks in 2008, and also tilted Super Bowl XLIII in his team's favor with a 100-yard interception return to end the first half. A Cowboys source confirmed the team is keeping an eye on Pittsburgh's talks with their pass-rush specialist as they get deeper into negotiations with Ware's agent, Pat Dye Jr.
While the deals won't be exactly the same, the two sides should at least have something to go off since it appears Pittsburgh is farther along in the negotiations with Harrison than the Cowboys are with Ware.
The Cowboys obviously have a different salary cap situation than Pittsburgh, which will affect the negotiations, the source said. So far the two sides have only held cursory discussions.
It would seem a good bet that Ware will receive money commensurate with what has been given to top pass rushers in years past. Last off-season Minnesota gave defensive end Jared Allen a six-year deal worth $74 million with just over $31 million guaranteed, and the year before that the Colts handed defensive end Dwight Freeney a six-year, $72 million deal.
Both Harrison and Ware are currently scheduled to become free agents after the 2009 season, and both could get contract extensions topping the one Allen signed to become the league's highest-paid defensive player. But who gets more?
Harrison's Defensive Player of the Year Award will weigh into the discussions with Pittsburgh, and Ware doesn't have that bargaining chip, despite finishing with four more sacks in 2008.
Still, Ware is more proven and younger. He's 26 years old, while Harrison is 30, and 2008 was Harrison's first season with double-digit sacks. Ware has had at least 11.5 sacks the last three years, making the Pro Bowl each of those seasons. His 51 sacks since entering the league in 2005 are the most of anyone, five more than Allen.
The Cowboys are currently around $10 million under the salary cap. Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said last month that signing Ware is the team's No. 1 priority of the off-season, and talks between the team and Ware's camp began before the Cowboys coaches and front office personnel traveled to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. three weeks ago.
The Cowboys drafted Ware with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, and two days into his rookie training camp he signed a five-year, $13 million contract with $10 million in guarantees.
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