Maddox finds relief
Tommy Maddox said he carried a "burden" last season as one of the NFL's lowest-paid starting quarterbacks, but he was grateful Monday that the Steelers broke one of their cherished rules of business and lifted it from his shoulders.
Maddox signed a new, four-year contract that immediately pays him a $2 million signing bonus on top of a base salary this year of at least $660,000. The salary cap hit of about $1.5 million leaves plenty for the Steelers to sign their draft picks and extend the contracts of inside linebackers Kendrell Bell and/or James Farrior.
Maddox will earn close to $3 million this season. His previous contract -- signed in 2002 when he was the backup to Kordell Stewart -- would have paid him a base salary of only $750,000. Also, the new contract runs through 2007. Maddox had been signed through 2006.
Team president Art Rooney II said giving Maddox a new contract when his previous deal had three years to run was "a rare exception" for the Steelers. Others in the organization believe it's unprecedented in the history of the franchise.
"To not have that feels pretty good," Maddox said. "I would like to sit here and say it wasn't (a burden), but I don't know if you can help but (it) not being somewhat of a burden, just because of the amount of attention that it got and the amount of questions that you have to answer, whether it be from (reporters) or whether it be in a grocery store or a gas station. There is always somebody bringing it up a little bit."
Noting that other quarterbacks on the team would have made more money, Rooney said it wasn't an easy decision.
"After a lot of discussion, we decided to make an exception to our general rule of not talking to players when they have more than one year left," he said. "We thought it was the right thing to do in an unusual set of circumstances."
Said Maddox: "I appreciate the organization doing it when they didn't have to do it."
The contract is structured to reflect Maddox's stature as the Steelers' starting quarterback this year. But it also makes allowance for the inevitability of rookie No. 1 draft choice Ben Roethlisberger becoming the starter and Maddox the backup, possibly as soon as 2005.
To that end, there are many financial incentives written into the contract -- some difficult to attain, even if Maddox is the starter. The total package is worth less than $14 million, but Maddox won't earn all of it.
"If I continue to play, I'll continue to make pretty good money," he said, "and, if not, I'll make pretty good money and be fair for them, if I stay here."
Even Rooney admitted that Roethlisberger is destined to become the starter. Rooney wasn't specific, but Roethlisberger's signing bonus probably will more than triple what Maddox received.
"We are not going to tell the coach when to play the quarterback or who to play," Rooney said, "but it certainly becomes a factor at some point in terms of the dollars you are paying particular players and what role they are playing on the team.
"Those are things that, as time goes on, they will play out as they should. We structured this contract in a way that Tommy can be here in multiple roles. We expect Tommy to be here for a number of years, as well as Ben."
Maddox, who will be 33 on Sept. 2, said the new contract gives him the opportunity to finish his playing career with the Steelers.
"I've moved around a lot in my career and been through all the highs and lows, and it's exciting for me to think this is where I'm going to end my career.
"Both sides are very happy with the way it turned out. It was about feeling like the right thing was done."
Notes: Bell (groin) and Farrior (hip pointer) did not practice yesterday. Next up on the depth chart are veteran linebacker Larry Foote and undrafted rookie Allen Augustin. ... Wide receiver Plaxico Burress' absence reached one month when he failed to show up yesterday for the start of the last week of coaching sessions. Asked if he had heard from his teammate, wide receiver Hines Ward said, "No comment on that." ... The team officially announced the signing of safety Ainsley Battles, who agreed to contract terms on Friday.
