LLT
08-07-2010, 04:32 AM
Foote stays loyal to Farrior before returning to Steelers
By Mark Kaboly, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, August 7, 2010
• Larry Foote was ecstatic about the opportunity of coming back to the Steelers ... until he knew how much the organization was offering him to return. Foote, who spent seven years with the Steelers before leaving for his hometown Detroit Lions after the 2008 season, was offered $9.3 million for three years to return to Pittsburgh.
He was scheduled to make $2.885 million with the Steelers last year before he asked for his release and got paid $1.5 million last year in Detroit.
So when the Steelers offered him $3.1 million a season that included a $1.8 million signing bonus, Foote's initial thought was skepticism.
"When they offered me that amount of money, I got concerned and was like: 'I don't want you to cut (James Farrior) if I sign this deal,'" Foote said. "They had no (such) intentions, but I needed them to ensure me before I was going to sign. My main thing was that I didn't want to come here and take Farrior's spot on the roster."
That may happen eventually, but the Steelers plan to use Foote in various ways, including being an insurance policy for both the inside and outside linebacker position.
read more: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_693879.html
By Mark Kaboly, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, August 7, 2010
• Larry Foote was ecstatic about the opportunity of coming back to the Steelers ... until he knew how much the organization was offering him to return. Foote, who spent seven years with the Steelers before leaving for his hometown Detroit Lions after the 2008 season, was offered $9.3 million for three years to return to Pittsburgh.
He was scheduled to make $2.885 million with the Steelers last year before he asked for his release and got paid $1.5 million last year in Detroit.
So when the Steelers offered him $3.1 million a season that included a $1.8 million signing bonus, Foote's initial thought was skepticism.
"When they offered me that amount of money, I got concerned and was like: 'I don't want you to cut (James Farrior) if I sign this deal,'" Foote said. "They had no (such) intentions, but I needed them to ensure me before I was going to sign. My main thing was that I didn't want to come here and take Farrior's spot on the roster."
That may happen eventually, but the Steelers plan to use Foote in various ways, including being an insurance policy for both the inside and outside linebacker position.
read more: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_693879.html