Behind Closed Doors
Steelers Contract Negotiations
By Jerry DiPaola

Make no mistake that Hines Ward uttered these words earlier this spring, even if he eventually denies they came from his lips or tries to downplay their significance: "God forbid," Ward said, "if Alan is not here."

The Alan in question is six-time Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca, the longest-tenured Steelers player (along with Ward) on the roster. At some point - not long after the end of the season - Ward's words must be dealt with by a Steelers organization that has decided Faneca isn't worth the money he is demanding to continue his career in Pittsburgh.

Faneca wants to be paid like the richest guards in the National Football League, but the Steelers have other ways to spend their money.

Faneca, a good guy and a better player, might be the best guard in team history, but he surely has been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL since he was a No. 1 draft pick from Louisiana State University in 1998.

Even though it's months before his unrestricted free agency, Faneca has predicted that he won't return for the 2008 season. He wants upwards of $7 million per season and about $17 million in guarantees on a new, multi-year contract. The Steelers refuse to lavish such riches on a guard and will swallow hard and let him walk after the season.

The possibility always exists that contract negotiations will re-open in February or March, but the Steelers will be bidding with other teams at that point. Dan Rooney has no taste for such a process.

No offense to guards in general and Faneca in particular, but the Steelers have other priorities.

The team recently signed contract extensions totaling $80.6 million with strong safety Troy Polamalu, defensive end Aaron Smith and right guard Kendall Simmons. Polamalu and Smith are two of the most dynamically consistent players on the defense; Simmons lacks Faneca's resume and was willing to accept only (and the term is used very loosely) $8.5 million in guarantees.

Then, there is the matter of Ben Roethlisberger's next contract. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has three years left on a six-year, $14.26 million deal that he signed as a rookie in 2004. If that sounds less than outrageous, it's because those numbers don't include many millions in performance incentives that Roethlisberger already earned or an $8 million bonus payment due on March 5, 2009.

The Steelers will do a new contract with Roethlisberger-or release him if he ever becomes an underachiever-before they write that latter check.

There is no urgency to do another deal, but the team renegotiated with quarterbacks Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox when they had two years left on their contracts, so expect the same to happen with Roethlisberger next year. His agent Ryan Tollner, who has admitted the contract will be complicated, began talks earlier this year. Consistent with team policy, however, there will be no negotiations during the season.

But be assured that the money the Steelers won't give Faneca will go to Roethlisberger - unless he crawls back onto that motorcycle again and angers a second Steelers head coach.

So, the question arises: How do the Steelers decide which players to re-sign and which players to let walk away?

The way the Steelers conduct contract negotiations has changed over the years. In the beginning of free agency, the team did not have the revenue streams provided by Heinz Field. Three Rivers Stadium had lots of tradition and memories and housed some of the greatest teams in NFL history, but it had none of the luxury boxes that were built into Heinz Field. The Steelers could not-or chose not to-go on spending sprees without the finances provided by a new stadium.

As a result, the Steelers lost many great players who were part of some of the best AFC teams of the 1990s, including Chad Brown, Rod Woodson, Kevin Greene, Leon Searcy, Neil O'Donnell and Yancey Thigpen. Maybe some of those players would not have left if Heinz Field had been built five years earlier. On the other hand, perhaps the Steelers would have had too much money on their hands and would have decided to keep aging stars such as Greg Lloyd and Levon Kirkland beyond their usefulness.

The point is that it's all about the salary cap and the ability to pay signing bonuses that circumvent the spending limit by spreading out charges over the length of contracts.

"Everything you do is based on the cap," former Steelers director of football operations Tom Donahoe liked to say.

But today things are different.

The cap still rules, but Rooney is willing to pay bigger signing bonuses because fans and corporations are spending more money for the right to watch an NFL game in his stadium.

The team has negotiated pricey, multi-year contracts with many of its current starters since moving into Heinz Field, plus the riches lavished upon now-retired stars Jerome Bettis and Jeff Hartings and departed players such as Joey Porter, Jason Gildon and Stewart.

When the Steelers broke ground on the North Shore for the construction of Heinz Field, Rooney said he hoped to one day call it "the house that Kordell built."

The Steelers were so sure about what Heinz Field meant to the long-term viability of the franchise that they signed Stewart to an extension mere months after one of his bad seasons in 1998. It paid off, eventually, in a berth in the AFC Championship game following the 2001 season, but Stewart's money was largely misspent.

Hey, sometimes, you call them right; sometimes, you don't.

Stewart is long gone, but the spending has continued with Super Bowl XL heroes such as running back Willie Parker, Ward, Smith, Polamalu, Simmons, cornerback Deshea Townsend, linebackers James Farrior, Clark Haggans and Larry Foote, nose tackle Casey Hampton, offensive tackle Marvel Smith and even fullback Dan Kreider.

All those players signed multi-year deals that contained significant sums of guaranteed money. Polamalu, who plays the previously disregarded position of safety that teams rarely prioritize, received $15.375 million in guarantees and roster bonuses when he signed an extension this summer.

It also should be noted that all of those players are the kind of solid citizens and family men who Rooney likes to reward. The Anti-Vicks, if you will.

Polamalu's spiritual well-being is just as important to him as his financial and physical health. Overall, they are devoted family men who seldom embarrass the organization with off-field indiscretions.

The same couldn't be said for Porter, who was released this off-season in lieu of paying him a $1 million roster bonus. The Miami Dolphins believed Porter still could be a major asset to their defense, and they signed him to a five-year, $32 million contract that included $20 million in guarantees and roster bonuses. He never was going to get anything close to that from the Steelers.

The organization had grown weary of Porter's disrespectful actions and remarks toward friend and foe alike, including President George W. Bush before the Super Bowl champions' trip to the White House last year.

Porter's on-field antics included taking a swing at Cleveland Browns running back William Green BEFORE a game, a verbal assault toward Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis AFTER a game at Heinz Field, and using a homosexual slur to describe Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.

On top of that, Porter previously was shot in the buttocks in what was reported as a random, drive-by shooting in Denver. Plus, only days after signing with the Dolphins, he got into a fight at a Las Vegas casino with Cincinnati Bengals' offensive tackle Levi Jones, who accused Porter of stealing some of his jewelry.

Porter's controversial background and history played a major part in the Steelers' decision not to sign him to an extension. It was just as important in the organization's decision-making process as Porter's declining play in 2006.

The Steelers tolerated Porter when he was one of the most feared players in the league; when his sack total plunged along with his character, it was time to cut ties.

Contrast Porter (no contract) to Aaron Smith (big contract). Porter and his posse scuffle with a rival player in Vegas in the off-season. Meanwhile, Smith stays close to home so he can accompany his wife on their children's doctor visits.

Is there any question who put a lot of Dan Rooney's money in the bank this offseason?

Jerry DiPaola is an assistant editor at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. He covers the NFL and Steelers for PSR.