Troy Polamalu is due to count more than $8 million against the salary cap for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015, but things would be much cleaner if the safety just retired. That's what the team is hoping for, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Steelers are hoping Troy Polamalu will retire, according to report
The Steelers will likely part ways with Troy Polamalu and would reportedly prefer if he made things cleaner by retiring.
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Polamalu, 33, finished his 12th season with the Steelers in 2014, but his play has dropped off in recent seasons. After eight Pro Bowl seasons and four first-team All-Pro nods, Polamalu is not worth keeping on the roster with more than $16 million worth of cap hits on the way for Pittsburgh in the next two seasons.
On 93.7 The Fan’s The Cook and Poni Show, Bouchette said the Steelers would prefer to avoid releasing Polamalu, although it will likely come to that if the veteran safety elects not to retire.
“That is the elephant in the room,” Bouchette said. “I expect him not to be here by some means. The Steelers are hoping he would retire, but I don’t know if he is going to.”
Pittsburgh's Offseason
The Associated Press named Polamalu the Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 when he finished the season with seven interceptions, one forced fumble and one sack in 14 starts. In 2014, Polamalu finished without a sack or an interception in 12 starts.
Polamalu was selected by the Steelers with the 16th-overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft and has 142 career starts for the team.
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