James Harrison doesn’t like being asked stupid questions. One example would be asking where his Super Bowl pick-six ranks among the greatest plays in the history of the NFL’s biggest game. The Pittsburgh Steelers legend would answer without hesitation,” One. Stop asking stupid questions.”

And it is not only because the play helped Pittsburgh defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. It also carries extra meaning because of the difficult early years Harrison endured in his NFL career before that moment happened.

“I mean, I can’t breathe, you know,” Harrison said in his recent conversation with ESPN. “Got cut, four or five times, and finally made it. And to have that play, the best play in Super Bowl history, I mean, unbelievable.”

Being cut four or five times was a major hurdle for a linebacker who went undrafted in the 2002 NFL Draft. Harrison did not have an easy start to his career. Several teams passed on him in the draft because he was considered undersized at six feet tall to play linebacker and too light at 240 pounds to play on the defensive line.

After the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent, he spent much of his first two seasons moving on and off the practice squad. Pittsburgh cut him three different times before eventually releasing him. As that happened, frustration started to build during that stretch.

Harrison would sometimes give up on plays when things were not going well. On top of that, he even asked coaches to take him out during difficult practice reps. Those early struggles were later described by his former teammate James Farrior.

“He was a knucklehead that didn’t know the plays,” Farrior told the NFL Network. “We’d be in practice, in training camp, and he might not know what he was doing so he’d just stop and throw his hands up and tell (the coaches) to get him out of there. We thought the guy was crazy.”

Amid his ongoing struggles, Harrison signed a reserve future contract with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004. He also spent time with Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. But the Ravens eventually released him as well before the start of the 2004 season.

At that point, his NFL career could have easily ended there. Instead, an unexpected opportunity changed everything. When Steelers linebacker Clark Haggans suffered an injury that offseason, Harrison was given another chance and managed to make the final roster.

From there, Harrison eventually became part of Pittsburgh’s championship team that won Super Bowl XL. Still, the defining moment of his career arrived a few years later in Super Bowl XLIII, when he scored the first and only touchdown of his career on the biggest stage in football.

With 18 seconds left in the first half, the Cardinals had first and goal at the Steelers ‘ one-yard line. Kurt Warner attempted a quick pass to Anquan Boldin. Harrison had initially shown blitz before dropping into coverage. And he stepped directly in front of the throw at the goal line.

Harrison intercepted the pass and began racing down the sideline as teammates formed blocks in front of him. Cardinals players chased him the entire way down the field. Larry Fitzgerald nearly caught him near the goal line. But Harrison stretched the ball across the plane to complete a 100-yard interception return touchdown.

At the time, it became the longest play in Super Bowl history, giving Pittsburgh a 17-7 lead heading into halftime.

Years later, that play does not always appear at the top of every list when people debate the greatest moments in Super Bowl history. But for Harrison, there is no debate at all. In his mind, that play still holds the top spot.

ESPN Leaves Out James Harrison’s Super Bowl Pick-Six From Top 10

ESPN is set to host the 2026 season’s Super Bowl, scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium. The event will mark the return of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck in the broadcast booth to call the game. As part of the buildup, the network has launched a promotional series for next year’s Super Bowl titled “I Scored a Touchdown.”

As that rollout continues, one particular moment has quietly resurfaced in the conversation. While James Harrison himself has placed his Super Bowl pick-six at the very top, ESPN recently left the play out of its list of the 10 greatest Super Bowl plays of all time. And when you look at the context, the reasoning becomes a bit easier to understand.

For starters, Harrison’s pick-six did not occur late in the game with everything on the line. The play came just before halftime. While it gave the Steelers a major swing in momentum and eventually helped them secure a 27-23 win over the Cardinals, it did not directly seal the outcome of the game.

Even so, the moment still stands as one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history. It simply was not enough for ESPN to include it among its top 10 selections.

That said, the play has received recognition elsewhere. Sports Illustrated, for instance, included the moment in its own rankings. It placed Harrison’s interception return as the eighth greatest moment in Super Bowl history, giving the Steelers’ legend the spotlight he deserves.