Steelers sign Harrison to $51 million deal: report

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl-winning linebacker James Harrison has been given a new six-year, $51.175 million deal with the team, the Pittsburgh Post Gazzette reported on Monday.

Harrison returned an interception 100 yards (meters) for a Super Bowl record touchdown this year as the Steelers ran out 27-23 winners over the Arizona Cardinals.

The newspaper's website (www.post-gazette.com) quoted 30-year-old Harrison's agent, Bill Parise, as confirming the deal.

"We are quite happy, as you can imagine," Parise said.

"We are happy that James will remain in Pittsburgh and this contract is certainly representative of a great marriage between a great franchise and a great football player."

The report said that the Steelers would officially announce the new deal at a news conference on Tuesday.

Harrison was heading into the final year of his existing contract with the Steelers.

The outside linebacker moved to Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2002 but struggled to make an impact before he was cut in 2004 and joined the Baltimore Ravens.

Harrison's NFL career looked over when the Ravens packed him off to play in NFL Europa but he got a second chance at Pittsburgh and has since been part of two Super Bowl winning teams and earned two Pro Bowl selections.

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by John Mehaffey)