Steelers Notebook: Team offers Leftwich 2-year deal

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers Notebook: Team offers Leftwich 2-year deal
Friday, April 10, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09100/961928-66.stm

The Steelers issued a contract offer this week to quarterback Byron Leftwich, who spent yesterday visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The two-year offer from the Steelers is close to minimum wage for Leftwich, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The minimum for him would be $620,000 in 2009 and $755,000 in '10.

Leftwich, though, prefers a one-year contract if he returns to the Steelers. He signed a one-year contract with them in August after Charlie Batch's clavicle was broken in a preseason game.

Leftwich and Batch are unrestricted free agents, and coach Mike Tomlin said he'd like to have both return. Batch has continued to work out with the Steelers this spring; Leftwich has been working out in Florida.

Leftwich's visit to the Buccaneers was his second in less than a week. He visited the Washington Redskins Friday.

4 more guests

Three cornerbacks and one outside linebacker visited the Steelers yesterday as they continue to inspect draft prospects. The cornerbacks were Donald Washington of Ohio State, Don Carey of Norfolk State and Sherrod Martin of Troy. Lawrence Sidbury, an outside linebacker from Richmond, joined them at the Steelers' UPMC training facility.

Former Steeler acquitted

Former Steelers tight end Jonathan Dekker has been acquitted of an obstruction of justice charge in Virginia, but it still proved costly.

Dekker was arrested after an incident in Alexandria's Old Town Jan. 24, a week before the Super Bowl. He was on the Steelers' injured-reserve list at the time and, after his arrest, he was not permitted to join his teammates in Tampa. The Steelers dropped him after the season.

According to The Associated Press, the charge against him was lodged after he fled police and gave them a false name after they caught him. An officer had told Dekker he was going to arrest him for public drunkenness, and the player said he ran because he did not want to distract the Steelers by getting arrested.
Schedule comes out Tuesday

The NFL announced that it will release its entire 2009 schedule Tuesday.
First published on April 10, 2009 at 12:00 am

[tony hipchest]

wow. talk about a low ball offer.

DET, TB, NYJ, MIN = all stupid.

you know how much i wish we had a former top 10 draft pick and previous starter like him, to pluck on the cheap when we were trotting out the likes of tomczak, graham, and maddox?

fair market for a top notch back up of his calibur is probably a 2 year deal for $5.5 mil (with $3 mil guaranteed).

however we have the upper hand in negotiations.

nobody else is offering him shit this year.
nobody offered him shit last year.
we gave him a ring.
charlie batch.
hes admitted pgh is someplace special.

we better up the ante or he will be a partiot as soon as they sniff out our lowball offer, with hopes of trading him for a 3rd round pick after next season (and we know they will get it).

[T Bradshaw]

He is a career loser

The man is stoopid if he does not sign

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by T Bradshaw

He is a career loser

not really

[The Definiti0n]

it would be great to have him as insurance

[KeiselPower99]

He is better then 5 or 6 of the current starters in this league. Their loss is gonna be our gain.

[Steel-Bryan]

Originally Posted by T Bradshaw

He is a career loser

The man is stoopid if he does not sign

[Galax Steeler]

I would love to see Leftwich sign for two years. I just think he is our better option right now.

[HometownGal]

Originally Posted by T Bradshaw

He is a career loser

The man is stoopid if he does not sign

Leftwich is one of the best, if not THE best, backup QB's in the NFL. I'd take him over BOtch any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Well, hey - at least Lefty knows how to spell a word he probably learned in the 1st grade.

On the subject of the Steelers offer to him - I'm shocked. BOtch makes almost $2 mil per season for God's sake!!

[revefsreleets]

That's not how I expected this to go.

We will carry 4 QB's this year? With Batch and Lefty only being able to play QB, that means we have GOT to do something with Dixon. We don't need 3 guys carrying around clipboards on the sidelines...