Running back Duce Staley signed a five-year contract worth $14 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.
Staley spent the last seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and is expected to boost the Steelers' running game, which ranked 31st last year. That was the worst ranking under coach Bill Cowher.
The deal includes a $4 million signing bonus.
Staley's agent, Leigh Steinberg, said the Steelers were a favorite because his client rooted for them as a child. Steinberg also was negotiating with the Detroit Lions.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Staley, a 1997 third-round draft pick out of South Carolina, has rushed for 4,807 yards on 1,200 carries. He's also caught 275 passes for 2,498 yards.
Last season, Staley held out of training camp trying to renegotiate the final year of his contract with the Eagles. When he returned, Staley found himself in a three-man rotation at halfback with Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter and gained only 463 yards on 96 carries; he also caught 36 passes.
Staley will compete with Jerome Bettis for the starting job.
The Steelers may release running back Amos Zereoue to make room for Staley. Zereoue is due to make $2.2 million this season.
Originally posted by StaggerLee Running back Duce Staley signed a five-year contract worth $14 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.
Geez, they got him pretty cheap as far as I'm concerned.
His yards per touch rivalled any other back in the league and he always brought everything he had to the table this season for us, when many would have sulked about not getting more action.
I wish him well with the Steelers, and at least with him being out of the NFC theres less chance of him ever coming back to haunt us.
Damn. I was really hoping we would grab Greg Jones in the second round of the draft. Guess this means we are going the quarterback direction in round one and cornerback in round two. But if Pittsburgh jumps up and grabs Couch then we will go cornerback in round one.
Lets face it- who knows what the Rooney's and Cowher are thinking.
WIENER OF THE DAY! July 6, 2002!
Wienerville Survivor League Co-Champion If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.
Well they certainly improved over Amos Zeroue! I owned him in Fantasy last year & he absolutely sucked! Plus they still have Bettis to grind out a few yards too. Are they pursuing a QB or are they sticking with Maddox?
Alright Brain, you don't like me, and I don't like you. But lets just do this, and I can get back to killing you with beer.
Originally posted by edge2333aAre they pursuing a QB or are they sticking with Maddox?
They have to pursue a quarterback. Maddox is old. They wasted years on Kordell Stewart and not preparing a quarterback for the future. Before this season ever started Cowher was high on Roethlisburger. All signs were that we would take him, but then his stock soared and now he is out of our hands. Apparently now Cowher likes Phillip Rivers a lot.
Personally If I am Pittsburgh I hedge my bets on Tim Couch. Now we have Staley so we can spend the draft stocking up on much needed defensive backs and offensive lineman. And if they really want to appeal to the Kentucky mark in me they will sign Couch AND draft Jared Lorenzen! WOHOO!
WIENER OF THE DAY! July 6, 2002!
Wienerville Survivor League Co-Champion If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.
The thing about Duce that I'm going to miss most is that the drunk next to me at Eagles games won't be able to yell "We're not Booin', we're Dooin'!" anymore.
Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.
They can talk about Manning vs Brady all they want, what it really comes down to is Gronk vs the Denver Secondary and I give this one to my Broncos by 3 points or less.