Troy Polamalu Indecision Hamstringing Steelers as Offseason Wears on

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not interested in rushing safety Troy Polamalu's decision about his playing status for 2015.

In a statement sent to ESPN.com last week, Polamalu's agent Marvin Demoff said, "The Steelers are giving Troy the space and time he needs to make a decision that is very respectful of his 12 years with the organization." 

A week prior, Demoff spoke with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly about Polamalu and gave a similar answer: "Troy is still determining whether he wants to retire or try and play in 2015. We will make a decision fairly soon, but [it is] not imminent."

Meanwhile, the Steelers have kept mostly silent about Polamalu this offseason, save for a brief statement released by team general manager Kevin Colbert the day before free agency began: "At this time, we do not have an update on Troy Polamalu or his contract status. We will continue to communicate with Troy and his representatives regarding his future."

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The Steelers keeping their respectful distance makes sense. They don't want to appear like they are pressuring one of the highest-profile players into a retirement he's not sure of, and they don't want to act too quickly to release him because it simply looks bad.

However, at some point the Steelers or Polamalu need to make a decision—and preferably sooner than later. It's pretty clear that the Steelers are ready to move on, but until they are given the green light from Polamalu's camp, they're hamstrung. They can't move forward, or even give the appearance of moving forward, until Polamalu formally announces his intentions for the future.

It's a game of chicken, but not a hostile one. The Steelers aren't stewing. Colbert's statement was not passive-aggressive in tone but rather a short answer to a question many have been asking.

But just as Polamalu and Demoff appreciate the Steelers' respect to give them the "space and time" Polamalu needs to make his decision, Polamalu and Demoff need to afford the Steelers respect in return and make said decision in a timely manner.

None of this discounts what the Steelers gained from Polamalu's presence. A first-round draft pick of the team in 2003, he eventually became an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, a five-time All Pro and earned the Associated Press' 2010 Defensive Player of the Year honors.

In his prime, Polamalu was one of the most dangerous forces on defense in the entire NFL. He could blitz quarterbacks, to the tune of 12 career sacks. He could work in coverage, totaling 108 passes defensed. He's totaled 32 interceptions, 581 combined tackles and five defensive touchdowns. He exhibited otherworldly closing speed to tackle both running backs and receivers and his mere presence along the line of scrimmage could make quarterbacks question what they were seeing.

Games	Starts	Comb. Tkl.	Sack	INT	TD	PD	FF	FR	TD
158	142	581	12.0	32	3	108	14	17	2

But those years have passed. Polamalu is now 33 years old and turning 34 in April. His litany of injuries—particularly to his calf, ankle, shoulder and knee—have also helped slow him down. In 2014, his knee cost him four games and he only totaled 45 combined tackles and one pass defensed, with no interceptions or sacks. 

Walking away from the NFL can be difficult for some players—it's hard to see such an important chapter of one's life come to an end. But if Polamalu wants to do right by the Steelers, he needs to make a decision, either way, sooner than later. 

It's not that the Steelers won't begin to prepare for a post-Polamalu life until he finally and definitively says he's hanging up his cleats; this is a process the Steelers have had underway since their season wrapped. But actually acting on that process cannot happen until Polamalu makes his decision, because that's when the Steelers can collect the salary-cap savings.

Releasing him outright would give the Steelers an additional $3.75 million in cap space, while absorbing $4.5 million in dead money. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would give them $6 million in cap savings and $2.25 million in dead money, though they would not be able to spend that money until after that date. 

There would be even more cash returned to the Steelers should Polamalu retire, with Kaboly noting that the Steelers should be able to recoup a prorated portion of Polamalu's signing bonus—around $4.5 million of a total $6.75 million.

So, Polamalu's pending decision could impact the Steelers' financial coffers from anywhere between $3.75 million to $10.5 million. That's a large chunk of change that Pittsburgh could use on a free-agent safety—though that market is considerably thin—or on another position.

Polamalu putting off his decision also affects the Steelers' draft plans. Losing him could mean the promotion of Shamarko Thomas, but they would still need additional safety depth behind him and starting free safety Mike Mitchell. How high a priority that position will be this year depends on Polamalu's decision, so it's feasible the Steelers have 1-A and 1-B draft boards to accommodate numerous scenarios.

The last thing the Steelers want to do is cut Polamalu outright. And they certainly don't want to seem like bullies by publicly pressuring Polamalu to retire, especially before he's 100 percent ready to make that decision. But the respect between the two sides needs to be mutual, and for that reason, Polamalu owes it to the Steelers to not keep them strung along but to make as timely a decision as possible.