Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Larry Foote, making a tackle against the Ravens this season, secured his future with a five-year deal with the Steelers. Click photo for larger image.

Not since the 1990s have the Steelers offered up such a class of available players to the rest of the NFL as they do today, the first day of free agency.

The Steelers yesterday came to a contract agreement with linebacker Larry Foote, who would have been a restricted free agent, and they made a move that guaranteed kicker Jeff Reed would stay, but other players will leave in droves.

Receiver Plaxico Burress, guard Oliver Ross, tackle Keydrick Vincent and linebacker Kendrell Bell are among 12 Steelers to become free agents. Burress, Ross, Vincent and Bell should command contracts among the highest of the free agents at their positions.

"You always measure the number of phone calls you get before free agency begins," said Alan Herman, Ross' agent. "They ask things like, 'Are you still the agent of record?' and that stuff, but you know why people are calling. Although you can't start negotiating, my sense is Oliver will be a highly sought free agent when the bell rings."

The Steelers did not make offers to Ross, Vincent, Burress or Bell because they knew it would be futile.

"No, I think they know they can't keep him and have to pay starting salary to keep him," said Ken Zuckerman, Vincent's agent.

But the Steelers will keep Foote and will pay him like a starter, which he became last season when Bell endured a year of groin injuries and hernia surgery. Foote received a five-year, $13.43 million contract that includes a $3.25 million signing bonus.

That contract also reflects the team's approach toward Bell: There won't be one.

In addition, the Steelers did something rare when they gave Reed, a restricted free agent, a higher tender than the others, of $1.43 million. By doing so, the Steelers would receive a first-round draft choice as compensation if another team signed Reed. Had they given him the lower tender of $656,000 -- as they did to their other four restricted free agents -- a team could have signed Reed and the Steelers would have received nothing in return if they did not match the contract.

"Jeff is flattered," agent Donal Henderson said, "that they thought enough of him to tender him a first-round pick and are willing to pay him that much to kick for a year. The next thing now is to see if we can get a long-term contract done that's beneficial for both parties."

Henderson said there are no plans to have Reed visit other teams because no team would forfeit a first-round draft choice to get a free-agent kicker.

It's not as if the Steelers would not like to keep their attractive free agents but they had to make moves to get under the cap by today. Their approach to each has logic:

They drafted Max Starks in the second round last year and believe he's ready to replace Ross at right tackle.

"They have a guy behind him they are grooming," Herman said. "I think in Pittsburgh they'd like to have Oliver back, but when you draft somebody that high, sooner or later you give him the opportunity."

Vincent became the starting right guard last season because Kendall Simmons was lost for the season after ACL knee surgery in August. Simmons will return to reclaim his starting job.

Vincent, who turns 27 next month, is a 6-foot-5, 330-pound guard who had a monster season. "He'll be an interesting guy in this market," Zuckerman said. "People are intrigued by him, especially a big man who's a young guy and showed a lot of athleticism last year. He had a strong season."

Bell turned down a Steelers offer before the season began and now they've turned to Foote to take his place. When healthy, Bell is an explosive inside linebacker who makes big plays -- scouts call his type a "difference-maker" -- and was the NFL's defensive rookie of the year in 2001.

Burress has expressed interest to go to a team that throws the ball more and he will have that opportunity. The Steelers would have liked to have him back, especially after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made public pleas on his behalf, but realize other teams will bid too high for him.

The Steelers plan to replace Burress at split end with Antwaan Randle El or by drafting one of the many good wide receivers available from the college ranks in April.

ON THE MARKET
Here is a list of the Steelers' free agents this offseason:
UNRESTRICTED
QB Charlie Batch	S Ainsley Battles	LB Kendrell Bell
OT Barrett Brooks	WR Plaxico Burress	S Tyrone Carter
DT Kendrick Clancy	TE Matt Cushing	TE Walter Rasby
OT Oliver Ross	OG Keydrick Vincent	CB Willie Williams
RESTRICTED
Player	Tender	Compensation
RB Verron Haynes	$656,000	fifth round pick
FS Chris Hope	$656,000	third-round pick
DE Brett Keisel	$656,000	seventh-round pick
WR Lee Mays	$656,000	sixth-round pick
K Jeff Reed	$1,430,000	first-round pick

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