The news dropped via his agent this morning that James Farrior is going to be released from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The inside linebacker has been among one of the better defenders in all of football in recent years, yet he’s obviously at the tail end of his career. If he has one or more seasons left in him, however, he could make a great veteran addition for a team needing help on the inside from a player who would bring championship experience.
Farrior is 37, so anyone signing Farrior will have some detractors pointing to the obvious. But he still had 78 tackles last season to go with 2 sacks in 14 games started. Just last season, he had 109 tackles and 6 sacks and a forced fumble. It’s clear that he can still make plays on the football.
The Chiefs are a team looking for help alongside Derrick Johnson in the middle after starting Jovan Belcher the last two years. The team signed Brandon Siler as a free agent last summer and then lost him for the season before he could even try to earn the starting spot. The team has brought him back again, but there’s no guarantees there. Adding another veteran like Farrior would intensify the competition and he would certainly become a favorite for a veteran defensive coach like Romeo Crennel.
The Steelers could still bring back Farrior on a smaller contract or perhaps they’re ready to move on overall. The Chiefs saw last season what it’s like to move on from a franchise star like Brian Waters only to watch them find new life on a different team. Perhaps this could be the same for Farrior and a new team like Kansas City.