LB Timmons Gets Five-Year Deal Worth $50 Million

The Steelers have signed another key part of their defense, as the team has inked inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons to a five-year, $50 million contract extension. The deal comes with $18 million in bonuses.

A 2007 first-round pick (15th overall) out of Florida State, Timmons has started 30 of his 62 career games, totaling 291 tackles, 15 quarterback sacks, seven forced fumbles, and three interceptions.

Timmons also has 38 tackles in seven career playoff games, and was scheduled to earn $1.454 million in total compensation in 2011, including $685,000 in base salary, in the final year of his contract. The extension will keep him under contract through the 2016 season.

There was a thought that the team was done giving out extensions once they inked LaMarr Woodley to a six-year, $61.5 million extension earlier this month, but they wanted to make sure not to let Mike Tomlin’s first draft pick slip away.

The inking means that a couple other high profile Steelers are not going to get deals done this season – safety Troy Polamalu and wide out Mike Wallace.

As it goes, the Steelers will use next offseason to try and get each extended. They can and probably will use the franchise tag on Polamalu, and Wallace would be a restricted free agent, meaning that they can put a first-round tag on him and another team would have to give up their first-round pick if the Steelers don’t match an offer that Wallace would get.