Bledsoe, Horn and Porter released ahead of free agency

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter were among those released by their teams on Thursday ahead of the free agency period.

With the NFL's free agency period set to open on Friday, the final hours were a flurry of activity as teams cleared salary cap space by trading, re-signing and releasing players.

A four-times Pro Bowl quarterback and the NFL's seventh all-time leading passer, 35-year-old Bledsoe became expendable after losing his starting job to Tony Romo last season.

By cutting Bledsoe, the Cowboys were able to avoid paying him a $1 million roster bonus along with $4.5 million in base salary.

The 14-year veteran posted a record of 12-10 with the Cowboys and ranks fifth in NFL history in passing attempts (6,717) and completions (3,839) and seventh in passing yards with 44,611.

"I spoke with Drew today and told him that this was primarily a cap decision and that the door was very much open for him being a part of our future," Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones said on the team's Web site.

New Orleans, who came within a game of reaching the Super Bowl last season, have released one of its most popular players in Horn.

After the Saints and Horn were unable to agree on a restructuring of his contract, the wide receiver asked to be released to explore the free agent market.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Horn signed with the Saints in 2000 and caught 523 passes for 7,622 yards and a franchise record 50 touchdowns.

Porter, a cornerstone of the defense that helped the Steelers to a Super Bowl win in 2006, was drafted in 2000 and started 106 games collecting 10 interceptions and 60 sacks, the fourth-highest in franchise history.

According to reports, the Steelers would have had to pay a $1 million bonus plus his $4 million salary for 2007.

Director of Steelers football operations Kevin Colbert said Porter's release was a "salary cap-related issue."

(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto