Pittsburgh Steelers part ways with Hines Ward In a move that will play well with the finances but probably not the fans, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Wednesday that they will release All-Pro receiver Hines Ward. "We had a conversation today with Hines Ward and informed him that we plan to release him of his contract prior to the start of the 2012 NFL calendar year," Steelers President Art Rooney II told Steelers.com. Hines has been an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 1998, and we will forever be grateful for what he has helped us achieve. He has meant so much to this organization both on and off the field, and we appreciate his efforts over the past 14 years. Hines' accomplishments are numerous, and he will always be thought of as one of the all-time great Steelers. We wish him nothing but the best. The question now is whether Ward, a former Super Bowl most valuable player who turns 36 next week, will call it a career or carry on elsewhere. His salary last season was $3 million, and he was due to make $4 million this year, even as he had slipped to the fourth or fifth receiver on the roster. It is not known whether the Steelers made him an offer to stay. "I don't think he's done," said New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who faced Ward at least twice a season when Scott played for Baltimore. You never know how much he has in the tank. He can also be a good locker-room guy. He can tell you how to be a tough, hard-nosed receiver. But he can also tell the young, fast guys the subtle nuances of the position, because he had to use all the tricks. Year after year, Ward distinguished himself as the best blocking receiver in the game. The move is an indication that the Steelers plan to retain receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who caught 16 passes and scored two touchdowns in his first season with the Steelers last fall. Ward's value within the division as a player who knows the Steelers offense inside and out is dampened by the fact the team switched offensive coordinators this off-season, from Bruce Arians to Todd Haley. With Pittsburgh taking a hard-line business stance over sentimentality, it also raises questions about how the club will approach other star players on the backside of their careers, such as linebacker James Farrior and defensive tackle Casey Hampton. Ward, a third-round pick who played quarterback in high school and receiver and tailback at Georgia, reached four Pro Bowls and is the Steelers' all-time leader in catches, yards receiving, and receiving touchdowns. Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL after leading the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over Seattle. In 2008, he was the league's Walter Payton Man of the Year, and gained popularity outside the league last year by winning "Dancing with the Stars."