PITTSBURGH -- James Harrison's snarling tenacity made the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker one of the NFL's most intimidating players for nearly a decade.

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!"

Harrison told ESPN's Josina Anderson that he wants to play for a team "that is successful" and that uses a 3-4 defense.

"I want to try and stay in the scheme that I'm in -- in a 3-4 defense," he said. "Warm weather is probably better but sometimes you don't have a choice on where you get to go. You have a choice in picking the team but it still depends on the circumstances around that team. You have to go with what is best for you."

When asked if there was a player he'd like to play with, he said "not really" but mentioned the Patriots' Tom Brady and Broncos' Peyton Manning as players "anybody would want to play with ... who wouldn't."

Harrison said while he's "grateful to the Steelers and the greatest fans in the world," that "chapter is closed and it's time to move on."

"When that time comes, I will jump into it with both feet and go 100 miles per hour. That is just the way I do things," he said.

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.