Troy Polamalu's future uncertain

[hawaiiansteel]

Troy Polamalu's future uncertain

Updated: January 21, 2015
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II did not commit to bringing back strong safety Troy Polamalu in 2015 even if the eight-time Pro Bowler wants to return.

The Steelers have not committed to bringing back 8-time Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu next season.

Rooney has said he wants Polamalu to retire as a Steeler, but the safety is coming off a season in which he did not record a sack or intercept a pass for the first time since 2007.

Polamalu, who will turn 34 in April, has two years left on his contract. He said after Pittsburgh's AFC wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month that it is fair to question whether he has played his last game for the Steelers.

Polamalu and veterans such as outside linebacker James Harrison, defensive end Brett Keisel and cornerback Ike Taylor all face uncertain futures. Rooney said the team has not made any decision on the four, who were stalwarts on the teams that played in three Super Bowls from 2005 to 2010 and won two of them.

"We'll be having conversations internally," Rooney said Wednesday at Steelers headquarters. "We'll have conversations with each of those players and others about what they want to do and whether they'll fit into the plans for next year. There's a lot of discussions to be had in terms of the next few weeks and months."

The Steelers will also have more than a few conversations with Ryan Tollner, who is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's agent.

Roethlisberger is entering the final year of his contract, and Rooney reiterated that the Steelers plan on signing the 11th-year veteran to a long-term deal.

The Steelers have yet to engage in contract negotiations with Tollner, but Rooney said of getting a new deal done, "Sooner rather than later would be good, but it's hard to put a time frame on it. You never know how long some of these things can take."

Roethlisberger is coming off the best statistical season of his career.

He threw for 4,952 yards and became the first player in Steelers history to win at least a share of the NFL passing total. Roethlisberger, who tied Drew Brees of the Saints for the most passing yards in 2014, also set Steelers single-season records for completions and completion percentage (67.1).

Roethlisberger's salary-cap hit in 2015 is $18.395 million. Signing him to a long-term deal would create cap room because the Steelers could spread the signing bonus over the length of what figures to be Roethlisberger's final NFL contract.

The Steelers also hope to re-sign outside linebacker Jason Worilds, who is their top free agent, and the team will also need cap room to sign free agents from other teams.

The free-agent signing period starts on March 10, and Rooney acknowledged that getting a new deal done with Roethlisberger before then would be "helpful" to the Steelers' offseason plans.

"But I'm not going to say that it's absolutely critical that it's done prior to that," Rooney said. "We'll get it done when both sides can come to a conclusion on it."

[URL]http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12207097/pittsburgh-steelers-commit-bringing-troy-polamalu-back-next-season[/URL]

[Oviedo]

I think Troy's future is pretty certain in that he can't play at a high level anymore. I love the guy as an all-time great Steeler, but like LeBeau quit hanging onto guys past their "sell by" date.

[hawaiiansteel]

Pittsburgh Steelers could face tough decision with Troy Polamalu

February, 26, 2015
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com

Outside linebacker Jason Worilds has probably played his last down for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There have been no contract talks between the two sides, and the Steelers won’t use a transition tag to keep Worilds from becoming an unrestricted free agent on March 10.

Unless there is a sluggish market for Worilds -- something that is unlikely since he is only 26 years old and one of the better pass rushers who is poised to hit the open market -- the fifth-year veteran will be playing elsewhere in 2015.

Less certain is what will happen with strong safety Troy Polamalu.

The eight-time Pro Bowler is coming off a season in which he did not intercept a pass or record a sack for the first time since 2007. Polamalu turns 34 in April and has clearly lost a step, but he apparently has no plans on retiring.

Cornerback Ike Taylor told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that Polamalu is already training with the intent of playing next season.

Polamalu is still under contract with the Steelers for two more seasons, but he is due a base salary of $6 million in 2015.

That is too much money for a player whose skills have declined but it is one thing to ask Taylor to take a pay cut -- something the Steelers did last year -- quite another to do it with Polamalu.

And that is if the Steelers want Polamalu back.

If the Steelers decide it is time to move on from Polamalu, it is not without recent precedent as far as cutting ties with an iconic player. It was, after all, just three years ago that the Steelers released Hines Ward, their all-time leading receiver, even though he clearly wanted to return for another season.

Ward's exit served as a stark reminder that the Steelers rarely, if ever, allow sentiment to enter the equation when faced with tough football or business decisions.

That probaly doesn't bode well for Polamalu unless there is a compromise to be found between the 12th-year veteran and the Steelers -- in the form of a pay cut.

[URL]http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/162555/pittsburgh-steelers-could-face-tough-decision-with-troy-polamalu[/URL]

[Discipline of Steel]

Ward's exit served as a stark reminder that the Steelers rarely, if ever, allow sentiment to enter the equation when faced with tough football or business decisions.

Do i really need to say anything else???

[squidkid]

his last extension was wasted money

[Iron City Inc.]

Noll cut L C Greenwood. So could Troy end up on route 30 I guess it could happen. Do not want to see 43 go out that way. Perhaps he will get released prior to camp or just make the call to end his football career. It's tough to see the great ones get up there in years. I'm sure we see Troy in Canton one day. Sadly I have to say it's time to move on.

[Oviedo]

Actually, I think his future is pretty certain. He will be a fairly pedestrian safety if he comes back and still not be able to cover or tackle in the open field. Sadly, what made Troy special is gone.

If Troy considers a paycut to a salary level commensurate with his skills an insult then they should not hesitate to let him go

[phillyesq]

his last extension was wasted money

It was mostly done as a cap move.

[Flasteel]

I know Polamalu showed us nothing last year and that was on the heels of a less than stellar 2013 season. But for some reason, I do not think he's done...in the league or in Pittsburgh. I'm pretty sure there's some sentiment to that reasoning, but there is also a gut feeling to it as well. I also think that he played heavy last year and it negatively impacted his explosiveness and overall game. I'm not sure why he ballooned-up, but to me it was evident that he was a chunky monkey the entire season.

If he trains his ass off (which according to Ike, he's already started doing) and loses the weight, I'm hoping we have a savvy veteran, who is still capable of reading, reacting, and blowing up plays. I realize however, the days of Taz are likely done...other than an occasional flash here or there.

His cap hit is hard to swallow, but I think he and the team work something out and we see 43 wearing the Black and Gold next year.

[papillon]

I know Polamalu showed us nothing last year and that was on the heels of a less than stellar 2013 season. But for some reason, I do not think he's done...in the league or in Pittsburgh. I'm pretty sure there's some sentiment to that reasoning, but there is also a gut feeling to it as well. I also think that he played heavy last year and it negatively impacted his explosiveness and overall game. I'm not sure why he ballooned-up, but to me it was evident that he was a chunky monkey the entire season.

If he trains his ass off (which according to Ike, he's already started doing) and loses the weight, I'm hoping we have a savvy veteran, who is still capable of reading, reacting, and blowing up plays. I realize however, the days of Taz are likely done...other than an occasional flash here or there.

His cap hit is hard to swallow, but I think he and the team work something out and we see 43 wearing the Black and Gold next year.

I don't know, even signing him to a salary substantially less than he's scheduled to make is still taking cap money and giving it to a veteran who will in all likelihood be a backup and insurance policy. The same for Taylor and Keisel, Harrison can still compete for the starting job and probably would win it right now over JJ. That would be predicated on him being in camp and competing for the job, otherwise, he should be on speed dial in case of injuries. Great players one and all, and equally great Steelers and ambassadors for the game and the city, but its time to move on and spend the money on players that can actually help win games week-in and week-out. Sad times indeed for Steeler fans, the end of Ben's career will be equally painful.

Pappy