Five years, $18.75 million for a 33-year-old linebacker sounds like a bit of a risky proposition, but the front-loaded deal ($10 million of that comes the first two years) the Steelers struck with James Farrior keeps a still-vital veteran presence in what is a shifting linebacking corps for the next few years.
With Lawrence Timmons on the ascent, projected to take Larry Foote's job sometime in the middle of the season, three of the four starting backers in the Steelers starting base set will have been starters for less than two seasons. That makes experience come at an even greater premium.
Obviously, this is no Joey Porter situation with a player on the brink of decline. Farrior had one of the better years statistically of his career in 2007: a team-leading 111 tackles and six and a half sacks. Its a rarity that one of the stout Steelers linebackers gets to finish their career in Pittsburgh. Even more odd is that it happens for the one that they didn't develop themselves. But Farrior's quiet, steady leadership over the last six years has made him entirely deserving.
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