Big hits — some legal, some not so much — also turned the outspoken five-time Pro Bowler into focal point for a league-wide crackdown on helmet-to-helmet contact.

Harrison’s outlaw image made him beloved in Pittsburgh but reviled elsewhere. His onerous contract, however, no longer worked for a team with serious salary cap issues. The Steelers released the former Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday when the two sides could not agree on a more cap-friendly deal.

“It’s been a great run but all good things must come to a end,” Harrison posted on his Twitter account on Saturday afternoon. “Thank you Steelers Nation I will miss you all!”

Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert and Harrison’s agent Bill Parise had spent the last few days trying to iron out a new deal but couldn’t reach any common ground. Harrison was entering the final two years of a $51-million extension he signed in 2009 and was scheduled to make $6.57 million in 2013.

Harrison was set to make $7.6 million in 2014. By releasing Harrison, the Steelers create $5.105 million in cap space.

They’ve already put that money to good use, too.

A source told ESPN’s John Clayton that the Steelers gave $1,323,000 tender offers to four restricted free agents — running back Jonathan Dwyer, running back Isaac Redman, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive tackle Steve McLendon.

Harrison — who turns 35 in May — will find himself looking for work for the first time since he became a fixture on the right side of Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense in 2006.

“James has been an integral part of our success during his years in Pittsburgh and has helped us win two Lombardi trophies during that time,” Colbert said in a statement. “We appreciate all of his efforts and wish him the best.”

Harrison is the first cap move by the Steelers this offseason as they try to get under the $123 million salary cap by Tuesday, when the new league year begins. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker Lawrence Timmons have restructured their contracts to help get Pittsburgh under the cap number but Colbert told reporters after the Steelers finished a disappointing 8-8 in 2012 “terminations” would also be necessary.

“Sooner or later you have to pay the debt and you never want to get to a point where you have to gut your team and start over because we have to compete for a championship every year,” Colbert said in January.

This isn’t the first time the Steelers have released a star to save money. They let go wide receiver Hines Ward and linebacker James Farrior last spring, but unlike Ward and Farrior — who both retired rather than sign elsewhere — Harrison remains intent on playing in 2013.

Harrison missed the first three games of the 2012 season with a minor knee injury but was one of Pittsburgh’s steadiest performers over the second half of the year. He finished with six sacks, tied for the team lead, and a pair of forced fumbles as the Steelers finished No. 1 in total defense for the fourth time since Harrison became a starter.

“James has played a major role in the success of this organization during his time in Pittsburgh,” coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “I appreciate everything he has done in my six years as head coach.”

In many ways Harrison’s success is emblematic of “The Steeler Way.” Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002, Harrison spent two years on the practice squad before getting signed by the Baltimore Ravens, who sent the undersized Harrison — listed at 6-feet — to NFL Europe for some seasoning. The Ravens eventually cut him loose and Pittsburgh brought him back hoping he had matured.

It ended up being one of the better bargains in team history.

Harrison eventually blossomed into one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. He helped the Steelers win their fifth Super Bowl in 2006 and was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, when he collected 16 sacks.

Chasing their second championship in four years, Harrison put together one of the most spectacular plays in Super Bowl history, returning a Kurt Warner interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half in a game the Steelers eventually won 27-23.

Yet Harrison’s violent play sometimes came at a hefty price. He was fined multiple times for hits to the head.

Feeling he was being unfairly persecuted by the league, Harrison called commissioner Roger Goodell a “crook” and a “devil” during an interview with Men’s Journal in early 2011. Harrison later apologized and promised to clean up his act.

It didn’t exactly work. Harrison was suspended for a game in December, 2011, after his helmet smacked into Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy’s facemask a moment after McCoy released the ball.

Harrison did not receive any letters from the commissioner’s office in 2012 but his physical style of play took a toll on his body. He missed all of training camp with a knee injury and admitted he had endured “a dozen” concussions over the course of his career.

The Steelers hope they have Harrison’s replacement in 24-year-old Jason Worilds, who finished with five sacks in limited action last season.

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Wilson, who had been the longest-tenured player on the team, took a pay cut to stay with the Cardinals before last season, but knew as it was winding down that it would be his final one in the desert.

“In every franchise, there is a select group of players whose contributions earn them iconic status and for us, Adrian Wilson will always be one of those players,” Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said. “He joined us at a key time in our organization’s evolution and helped lead us into a new era. We will always be grateful for that and look forward to the day when he’s placed in the Ring of Honor at University of Phoenix Stadium alongside the other all-time great Cardinals.”

Wilson played 12 seasons with the Cardinals and is one of six NFL players with 25 interceptions and 25 sacks. A Pro Bowler in 2006 and 2008-11, he has 27 interceptions and 25.5 sacks, including eight in 2005, which were the most ever by a defensive back.

Wilson played 181 games with Arizona, fifth-most in team history, and was a team captain five times, including last season.

“Decisions like this are never easy, but it’s especially tough with someone like Adrian because he’s been such a special player and important part of this organization for the last 12 years,” Cardinals GM Steve Keim said.

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As expected, Jackson voided his contract with the St. Louis Rams on Thursday, making the 29-year-old an unrestricted free agent.

Jackson, the Rams’ career rushing leader, didn’t totally rule out a reduced role should he land with a contender. He never has played for a winning team over his nine-year career.

“Well, that’s where a very open dialogue has to take place,” he said. “I have opted out of my position of being with the team and being comfortable because I want to continue to still be the bell cow. So that’s how I want teams to look at me, that’s how I’m going to shop myself, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there if that’s not the feedback we’re receiving.”

A three-time Pro Bowler, Jackson has topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of the last eight seasons. According to ESPN Stats & Information, only three players in NFL history have a longer streak of consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons than Jackson’s current run: Emmitt Smith (11 from 1991-01), Curtis Martin (10 from 1995-04) and Barry Sanders (10 from 1989-98). All are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jackson rushed for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns last season. He has 2,395 carries for 10,135 yards and 56 touchdowns over his career.

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Turner, 31, rushed for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as the Falcons reached the NFC Championship Game. It marked the fifth straight season in which he reached double figures in TDs.

Turner split time in 2012 with second-year pro Jacquizz Rodgers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Turner was on the field for 503 snaps and Rodgers took part in 502.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Turner has spent the past five seasons with the Falcons after playing his first four years with the San Diego Chargers. He has rushed for 7,338 yards and 66 TDs in 134 career games.

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The two sides are meeting Friday in Indianapolis at the scouting combine. Asomugha, 31, is scheduled to make $15 million, $4 million of which is guaranteed.

A three-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders from 2003-10, Asomugha has been a major disappointment with the Eagles since signing a five-year, $60 million contract in 2011.

Philadelphia thought it was assembling an all-star team that would compete for the Super Bowl, but the Eagles finished 8-8 in 2011 and 4-12 last season, leading to the firing of longtime coach Andy Reid.

In addition to Asomugha, new coach Chip Kelly has a decision to make on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

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The Falcons have been exerting tremendous pressure on Gonzalez to make one more Super Bowl run, and sources said he’s wavering from his intention to retire for the first time. While he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, Gonzalez said at his locker after Atlanta’s season ended in the NFC Championship Game that if he were to return he would be interested in playing only for the Falcons.

While the Falcons would certainly like to have a commitment from Gonzalez before free agency begins March 12, sources say no deadlines have been established.

Gonzalez is tempted because he knows — barring major injuries to key players — the Falcons have the talent to go deep into the postseason, and there has been no evidence to suggest his own performance has declined.

A 13-time Pro Bowler, who will turn 38 on Feb. 27, Gonzalez holds NFL records for touchdown receptions (107) and reception yards (14,268) by a tight end. He had 93 catches for 930 yards and 8 touchdowns last season.

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Gonzalez said late in the season he was 95 percent sure he would retire. He even moved that figure up to 97 percent after the Falcons won a playoff game against Seattle. After losing the NFC Championship Game to San Francisco, Gonzalez said he still intended to retire.

Dimitroff, who has been lobbying hard for Gonzalez to return for an 18th season, thinks Gonzalez’s chances of being back are a lot better than the veteran is letting on.

“Tony has done so much for us on and off the field, and I don’t believe, not stating that he would be lying to anyone, but I don’t believe the 95 percent,” Dimitroff said on “Pro Football Talk” on NBC Sports Network. “I want to believe it’s a lot closer to 50-50, to be honest with you, and we’ve had discussions.

“Obviously (Falcons coach) Mike Smith has had discussions with him. We’re all in a good place. Ultimately it’s up to Tony to decide if he wants to come back and potentially catch 100 balls again. I think it’s one of those situations that Tony was so effective for us down the stretch, and I can’t imagine that his appetite wasn’t sort of whet from his contributions in the playoffs.”

During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, Dimitroff said there was no firm timetable for Gonzalez to make a decision.

“We don’t have a deadline at all,” Dimitroff said. “But let’s face it that it’s important for us to know sooner rather than later because we have to move forward on all our decision-making.”

A 13-time Pro Bowler who will turn 38 years old on Feb. 27, Gonzalez holds NFL records for touchdown receptions (107) and reception yards (14,268) by a tight end. He had 93 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

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Following the San Francisco 49ers’ 34-31 loss to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, Gore claimed that Baltimore “got away with one.”

“It’s tough,” the Niners star running back said. “I just feel like we [were] the better team. They got away with one today. We showed we were the better team. It was just a couple plays here, a couple plays there.”

Gore, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown, was instrumental in San Francisco’s second-half rally. The Niners nearly overcame a 22-point deficit, which would have been the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

But the Ravens ultimately held on thanks to a defensive stand deep within their own territory.

“I think we’re the better team,” Gore said. “[I’m] just happy the way we kept fighting. Any other team probably would’ve just laid down, and we let people know what type of guys we’ve got in the locker room, type of warriors we are. It just didn’t happen for us today.”

The Niners gained 468 yards of total offense, including 182 rushing yards on 29 carries — an average of 6.3 yards per attempt. Gore, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry, did not complain about getting just 19 touches in the contest.

“We could’ve ran on them all day,” he said. “We called plays that we thought [were] good, and things didn’t happen.”

Gore also did not second-guess the 49ers’ play calling on their final offensive series.

The four-time Pro Bowler did not receive one carry on the decisive goal-to-go series as the Niners handed off to rookie backup LaMichael James on first down before passing the ball on the final three plays, including Colin Kaepernick’s incompletion to Michael Crabtree on fourth down.

“That’s why we’ve got coaches,” Gore said. “Every player wanted the ball at that time, but coach [Jim Harbaugh] made a decision, and we tried our best to make it happen.

“You can’t say [anything] about it. Our coach did a great job of calling plays all game. Those were the plays he called and it just didn’t happen.”

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“I’m going to officially put the cleats on the shelf. I’m going to walk away from the game,” the four-time Pro Bowler said.

The Packers announced that he will take part in a formal news conference at Lambeau Field on Feb. 6 at 12 a.m. ET.

“I played my entire career in Green Bay and have always enjoyed a special bond with the fans,” Driver said in a statement released by the team. “I can think of no better way to retire than to celebrate with them and the Packers organization.”

Fans are invited to attend Driver’s retirement news conference and tickets will be distributed free of charge.

“I’m going to open my retirement up to the fans … give them everything they deserve,” Driver told ESPN Radio.

Taken in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL draft out of Alcorn State, the 37-year-old Driver retires as the Packers’ all-time leader in receptions (743) and yards (10,137). He also had 61 touchdown receptions (third on Packers’ all-time list) in 205 career games, all with the Packers.

He’s one of only 18 wide receivers in NFL history with 700-plus career catches and 10,000 or more receiving yards in 200 games.

There were three wide receivers taken in the first round of the 1999 draft — Torry Holt, David Boston, and Troy Edwards. Driver had 225 more career receptions, 3,034 more yards and 25 more touchdowns than Boston and Edwards, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Only Brett Favre played more games in a Packers uniform.

“All 14 years. Every day,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “That’s a special place to walk out of, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”

He had seven 1,000-yard seasons, also a Packers record for a receiver. He had six straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2004-09, averaging 14 yards per catch during the stretch. He made at least one catch in 133 straight games from 2002 to 2010, another franchise record.

“It was a pleasure to share the field with you for 4 years! Great player, tremendous person. #retire80,” offensive guard T.J. Lang said on Twitter.

Aaron Rodgers added, “Thanks for the memories quickie, you will be missed #Packer4Life.”

Quickie is Driver’s childhood nickname.

He turns 38 on Saturday.

It wasn’t just his performance on the field that made Driver one of the most beloved players in Packers history. Fans were charmed by his bright smile and infectious laugh, and moved by his story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. Growing up, Driver and his family were so poor that he, his mother and siblings sometimes spent the nights in a U-Haul. He and his brother stole cars to get money, and Driver sold drugs, too.

Driver never forgot that tough childhood, remaining active in the community throughout his career.

“His contribution to the history of the Green Bay Packers has been extraordinary,” Bart Starr said in the Packers’ statement. “I am honored to congratulate him on all of his achievements on and off the field.”

Though Driver had said he hoped to play until he was 40, his retirement was hardly a surprise. He had restructured the final year of his contract to come back this season, but played only a bit role in the offense with Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb ahead of him on the depth chart. Driver’s eight catches for 77 yards were his lowest totals since his rookie season, and he was inactive for four games, including the NFC wild-card game, his final contest at Lambeau Field.

“It’s always difficult, especially when you feel you can still play the game,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “There’s other things out there. There’s the next chapter of your career and I’m ready for it.”

Driver said he is eager to spend more time with his family. Driver and his wife, Bettina, have three kids.

“Someone is always going to be able to tell my kids that their dad was a great football player,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “But no one will be able to tell my kids that their dad was a great dad and a great husband, so I have to be able to show them that.”

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“Sure. I think we put much more time in this year than we — for example, like last year, when we played the Super Bowl, it was our first game without him in two years,” Brady said during his weekly appearance on the “Dennis and Callahan Show” on Boston sports radio station WEEI. “Not that that’s any excuse because there are no excuses, but there’s an uncertainty of how guys are going to play and step in. Well we know now, we know the types of packages we’ll use and what we’ll do and the different ways we’ll try to find some weakness in the defense based on our groups and so forth.”

It was the same arm that Gronkowski broke Nov. 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. Gronkowski missed five games because of the original injury but played in New England’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins.

Gronkowski, who had a team-leading 11 touchdown catches this season, will require a second surgery on his arm, sources told ESPN.

Gronkowski, who had the forearm heavily wrapped, appeared to suffer the injury while attempting to make a catch in the first quarter. The two-time Pro Bowler returned to the Patriots’ sideline early in the second half but eventually departed with members of the team’s medical staff and did not return to New England’s 41-28 victory over the Texans.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick credited both Shane Vereen and Michael Hoomanawanui for stepping up Sunday to fill Gronkowski’s absence.

“It’s disappointing to not have Rob available, but I thought that Shane and Hooman both did a great job of stepping in to the game yesterday,” he said.

When asked if Gronkowski was 100 percent entering the game, Belichick reiterated what he said Sunday.

“I covered that yesterday. He was cleared medically,” he said. When pressed for more information, he adamantly responded, “I don’t have anything to add to it.”

Brady added that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ ability to excel when the team has had to adjust this season gives him confidence.

“That’s what Josh does better than anybody else that I’ve been around; his ability to adjust like he’s done all season,” he said. “That’s just the way it’s gone. I think we’ve played a bunch of games now, we’ve never really been fully healthy, and obviously now won’t be.

“But you know what? We’ve still got a very good team and there’s different guys that step up and make those big time plays, whether it’s Wes [Welker] or Brandon [Lloyd] or Deion [Branch] or Shane or Rid [Stevan Ridley] or Woody [Danny Woodhead], Aaron Hernandez had another big game. They’ve got to stop all of us, and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do this week.”

Woodhead also was injured against Houston when he hurt his thumb carrying the ball on the Patriots’ first offensive play. The club provided no update on his condition Sunday but Belichick said Monday that the running back could have re-entered the game if he was needed.

“Now that we are into a new week, we will re-address the whole situation and try to get a good feel of what he would and wouldn’t be available to do, and how functional he would be doing it,” Belichick said. “So I would say that’s something we’ll have to look at during the week.

“Assuming the doctors clear him to play, which is a medical decision, then the next situation would be from a football decision, what can he do and how well can he do it? & That would all be determined at a later point in time.”

Brady and his team will now focus their attention on the AFC Championship Game and the Baltimore Ravens, a team they lost to back in Week 3. Brady said he’ll use that tape to study this week, while also noting the familiarity between the two teams, who also met in last season’s AFC title game.

“We learn from the last game, but like I said last week, it’s just more of a few matchups and so forth,” Brady said. “I think you get a feel for some coverages, but we’ve played them enough where we know the players, we know their strengths, we’ll just work hard to see what they’ve done since our game. There’s a lot of tape to be watched, but they’re playing their best football right now.

“The way their offense played [against the Broncos on Saturday], I did see a few of those Torrey Smith catches and those were incredible. He had a great game against us and he had a great game on Saturday. They’ve got a very good offense, very good defense, they’ve got some Pro Bowl special teams guys, they’ve got a great team and they’re very well coached. That’s why they’re in the same position that they were last year. I feel the same way about us. I feel we’ve got the best coaching, we’ve got a lot of mentally tough players, physically tough players that are going to be facing our toughest challenge of the year. I know we’ll be ready for it when we kickoff next week.”

Before the Patriots had even punched their ticket to the AFC title game, Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo fueled the anticipation for this week’s game with some inflammatory remarks on Twitter about the Patriots’ offense, referring to the Patriots’ up-tempo attack as a “gimmick.”

Ayanbadejo later apologized for his comments in a Monday tweet.

Asked whether his team would once again push the tempo against the Ravens next week, Brady replied. “We’re going to play the style that we’ve played all year. I don’t know what we are going to do. I just woke up this morning.”

Brady made it clear that he didn’t need the remarks for motivation, instead focusing on the fact that his team is one win away from a return to the Super Bowl.

“That’s the only motivation we need,” he said. “That’s the ultimate motivation.”

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