PITTSBURGH — A pair of familiar faces are heading back to Pittsburgh for the 2016 season.

Veteran linebacker James Harrison announced on his Instagram page Monday that he plans on playing this fall. Harrison, who turns 38 on Wednesday, finished with five sacks in 2015 but said after Pittsburgh’s loss to Denver in the playoffs he needed time to figure out if he wanted to come back for a 14th year.

Harrison has spent much of the offseason working out in Arizona and Coach Mike Tomlin said over the weekend the team was planning on having Harrison back in the fold.

The Steelers signed backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to a one-year deal on Monday. Gradkowski missed all 2015 after injuring his right hand during training camp. He will compete with Landry Jones for the No. 2 spot behind Ben Roethlisberger.

PATRIOTS: New England released defensive back Rashaan Melvin and linebacker James Vaughters.

Melvin played in eight games for the Patriots in 2015, making six tackles. Vaughters was signed to a future contract by the Patriots on Jan. 21.

49ers: San Francisco picked up the the fifth-year option for safety Eric Reid for the 2017 season.

The 24-year-old has played and started all but one game since joining the Niners, making 189 tackles with seven interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble.

VIKINGS: Minnesota declined the fifth-year option on receiver and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.

Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and cornerback Xavier Rhodes both had their options picked up.

Patterson was given no such security. He was an All-Pro kick returner as a rookie and has continued to be a threat in that spot in his first three seasons in the league. But his development as a receiver has been much slower to come.

Patterson only caught two passes last season and was used as a decoy or blocker in the few offensive snaps he did get. He would have been due $7.9 million in 2017 and instead will be eligible for free agency next spring.

WASHINGTON: The team released injured cornerback Chris Culliver after signing Josh Norman as a free agent and taking Kendall Fuller in the third round of the NFL draft.

Culliver tore the ACL and MCL ligaments in his right knee during practice on Thanksgiving Day.

He joined Washington as a free agent last offseason after spending four years with the San Francisco 49ers and appeared in six games with no interceptions for Washington.

CHIEFS: Kansas City exercised its fifth-year option on left tackle Eric Fisher, which means the former No. 1 overall draft pick is scheduled to make $11.9 million during the 2017 season.

JETS: New York exercised its fifth-year option on defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, keeping him under contract with the team through the 2017 season.

The team also announced that it declined the option, as expected, on oft-injured cornerback Dee Milliner, meaning the 2013 first-round draft pick can become a free agent after this season.