After failing to come to terms on a restructured contract, Marvin Harrison has decided to ask the Colts to release him.
As much as the team would rather not — and Colts president Bill Polian acknowledged Sunday that it’s a tricky situation — Harrison is a luxury that Indianapolis can no longer afford.
Now that Harrison has declined to restructure his contract, the Colts have little choice but to let him and his $13.4 million salary-cap number go. It will mark the end of an illustrious 13-year career in Indianapolis, where Harrison and QB Peyton Manning formed one of the greatest quarterback-receiver tandems in NFL history.
Already the speculation about where Harrison will land is beginning. For starters, Harrison is determined to continue playing. A logical landing spot would be the receiver-needy Philadelphia Eagles, where Harrison would be reunited with his former Syracuse teammate, QB Donovan McNabb, while getting to play in the city where he lives.
This simply comes down to money. Harrison is 36 years old and the Colts already have a viable replacement at No. 2 receiver with Anthony Gonzalez. Center Jeff Saturday is expected to bolt in free agency and Indy still has holes on the defense that needs to be addressed.
I’m sure they would love to see Harrison finish his career in Indy, but he’s too expensive at this point. This is just speculation on my part, but along with Philadelphia, Jacksonville is another team that makes sense for Harrison if/when the Colts eventually release him. The Jags are always in need of wideouts and Harrison already knows the division.
