Troy Polamalu, Steelers agree on contract extension

Troy Polamalu, Steelers agree on contract extension

The Pittsburgh Steelers and All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu agreed on a contract extension, the team announced via Twitter Saturday afternoon, just hours before the Steelers' 2011 season is set to kick off. Polamalu confirmed the news on his own Twitter feed saying, "I am happy to say that I will retire a Pittsburgh Steeler!"
The team provided visual proof of the transaction, posting a photo of

Troy Polamalu, seen here during a Sept. 1 preseason game against the Panthers, has signed a contract extension with the Steelers.

CAPTION

By Bob Leverone, AP

Polamalu signing his new contract at Pittsburgh International Airport before boarding a plane to Baltimore. The Steelers play the Ravens in their season opener on Sunday.The team has not yet revealed details of the contract, but several sources, including the NFL Network's Jason La Confora, ESPN and the Associated Press, reported it's a four-year extension through the 2014 season. La Confora went on to say in a tweet that, "Polamalu's new deal to average $9M/season, a new high for a safety." Polamalu was entering the the last season of his contract and was scheduled to make $6.4 million this season.
Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that both sides were looking to get a deal done before the start of the season. The paper said they were going to hold off negotiations until the end of the 2011 season, but Steelers team president Art Rooney, "had a change of heart and decided to give it one last shot."
If the talks were weighing on Polamalu, it didn't show. He declined to comment on the need to get a deal done earlier in the week, saying he'd prefer to keep all discussions between his agent Marvin Demoff and the team quiet so that things don't get "misconstrued."
The Steelers also signed linebackers, and Polamalu's fellow defensive starters, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons to contract extensions during the offseason.
Polamalu, the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finished the season with seven interceptions, 64 tackles and a sack. But he was slowed during the playoffs with an Achilles injury.
Polamalu paced himself during camp, though he showed flashes of brilliance in a preseason win over Philadelphia three weeks ago, intercepting Michael Vick and going on a freewheeling return that included a fake pitch and an abrupt ending after Vick drilled Polamalu in the knees.
Cornerback Ike Taylor has been so impressed during camp he felt the need to declare "Troy's back." Actually, Taylor said, he never went anywhere in the first place.
"Sure, he missed a couple games," Taylor told the Associated Press, "but the games he was in there, he had like seven picks in six games.
"So, Troy is Troy."