Negotiations with Troy Polamalu ongoing
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Troy Polamalu makes the iconic play of the 2010 season when he blitzes Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco and knocks the ball loose to set up the winning touchdown.
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The Steelers have been negotiating with the agent for safety Troy Polamalu over the past several days, an 11th-hour attempt to sign the NFL defensive player of the year before the season begins Sunday.
Polamalu is entering the final season of his contract, and their previous discussions this summer with agent Marvin Demoff went nowhere and stalled. After the Steelers signed linebacker Lawrence Timmons to a six-year, $50 million contract two weeks ago, they decided they could do no more extensions until after the season.
Last week, however, team president Art Rooney had a change of heart and decided to give it one last shot.
Polamalu is scheduled to earn $6.4 million in salary this year, the last of a five-year, $33 million contract. He and wide receiver Mike Wallace were the last two key players with one year left on multi-year contracts the Steelers have not signed. They signed Timmons, cornerback Ike Taylor and linebacker LaMarr Woodley to multiyear deals in training camp.
PG VIDEO: MIKE TOMLINThe team adopted a policy in the mid-1990s not to negotiate contract extensions beyond the start of the regular season, a policy they have followed strictly. The only exceptions have come when they were close to finishing a deal before the season began and believed they could wrap it up soon thereafter.
The Steelers are not close to one with Polamalu, who has been their starting free safety since his second season (2004), and it is uncertain they can complete one soon.
Both sides have some leverage. Polamalu was the NFL defensive player of the year in 2010 and earned a sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection. The Steelers also have seen their defense lose its effectiveness when Polamalu is out with an injury or his play curtailed by one as it was in their Super Bowl loss against Green Bay in February.
But Polamalu, 30, is under contract for this season, and the Steelers could name him their franchise player for 2012, keeping him on the roster for at least the next two seasons.
First Published September 7, 2011 12:00 am
