Troy Polamalu's Retirement a Necessary Step in Rebuilding of Steelers Defense

Troy Polamalu is a triple-threat legend.

The now former Pittsburgh Steelers safety retired Thursday night and will enter the Hall of Fame five or so years from now as an all-time great at his position. Few (or no one…ever?) will be able to duplicate his controlled fury combined with quick-twitch instincts.

So he’s a safety legend who was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and a Steelers legend after playing a critical role in two Super Bowl championships. He’s also a hair legend who pioneered the development of Polamolecules.

His departure from the NFL is a time for wistful reflection. It’s a time when you should tumble deep down an Internet highlight hole to watch soaring, perfectly timed goal-line tackles, playoff-game clinching interceptions and absurd one-handed grabs. Polamalu went to eight Pro Bowls over 12 seasons while being selected as an All Pro five times.

He was dynamic and often a game-changing presence until his final years.

Let me know when that romantic reflection is out of your system. I’ll wait.

When you’re finished, it’s time to acknowledge a cold business reality for the Steelers and specifically their once-vaunted defense: Polamalu’s retirement is a very good thing. Those words are pure blasphemy in Pittsburgh, but there’s no other way to view this inevitable end that now gives the Steelers a fresh breath of salary-cap life.

Even before he made his retirement official, it was clear Polamalu would never play another snap in Pittsburgh. The only question seemed to be whether one of the greatest modern defenders would finish his career in a strange uniform. Basically, it was this: Would Polamalu pull an Ed Reed?

We have a definitive answer to that now, but the Steelers had unofficially moved on. In early March, longtime Steelers insider Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in a radio interview on 93.7 The Fan that he expected Polamalu “not to be here by some means” next season.

Bouchette added the Steelers were hoping Polamalu retired to avoid the awkwardness of releasing him. A family-owned operation highly values loyalty and had little desire to axe a franchise anchor who will one day have his long wavy locks showcased in Canton.

But let’s not fool ourselves: A release still would have happened due to several factors. Two of them are intertwined, and combined they made a third strike—the heavy burden of Polamalu’s contract—too much to bear.

Polamalu declined in recent years as he started to lose his burst and closing speed.

Year	Times targeted	Passer rating
2014	21	114.8
2013	48	60.2
2011	60	74.4
2010	43	49.1

The 2012 season is excluded there because Polamalu appeared in only seven games due to a calf injury. The same calf injury robbed us of seeing the real Polamalu as he finished his career.

Polamalu was given a three-year contract extension in 2014, but it was filled with more fluff than your average county-fair food court. It saved the annually dollar-starved Steelers $4.5 million in cap room, and in 2014 Polamalu played on a base salary of only $1.5 million, per Spotrac.

Looking at his scheduled base salary in 2015 brings about a feeling similar to the sensation of peering over a massive cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom. Rocks that also have spikes sticking out, for whatever reason.

His salary was going to rise quickly as the 33-year-old's performance declined.

Year	Base salary	Cap hit
2015	$6 million	$8.25 million
2016	$5.75 million	$8 million

The cash Polamalu’s retirement has dumped into the Steelers’ pockets can now fuel a defensive rebuild.

Of course, Polamalu was only the most iconic and expensive aging defender to either step away so far this offseason or be forced to step away.

Cornerback Ike Taylor wasn’t re-signed, an easy decision after he was a regular punching bag in recent years. Taylor appeared in only five games during the 2014 season due to a broken forearm. But remarkably that was more than enough time to give up 321 yards in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, which including back-to-back games with 100-plus yards coughed up.

When Taylor was allowed to walk as a free agent, that cleared $7.7 million in cap space. Outside linebacker Jason Worilds shockingly retired, too, but he would have priced himself out of Pittsburgh’s comfort range as a free agent regardless. Then there’s also Brett Keisel, the aging (36) defensive end who was released and would have accounted for a cap hit of $1.75 million in 2015.

Player	Base salary	Cap hit
Troy Polamalu	$1.5 million	$6.4 million
Ike Taylor	$2.75 million	$7.7 million
Brett Keisel	$1 million	$1.25 million
Jason Worilds	$9.75 million	$9.75 million

There’s still a hole to wiggle free from, but now the light at the end of that tunnel is shining brightly. Just prior to the 2014 league year Pittsburgh was over the salary cap by more than $5 million. Now between the veteran defensive exodus and giving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger an extension, the Steelers are $6.7 million in the black, per Spotrac.

Polamalu was the third-highest paid Steelers player against the cap in 2014. His exit immediately leads to a youth movement, with Shamarko Thomas likely ascending the depth chart. He was a fourth-round pick in 2013 and has spent two seasons being groomed. His salary-cap cost in 2015? Oh, only $698,288, according to OverTheCap.com.

Youth movements happen on the field, but often more importantly, on the payroll too. After jettisoning high-priced and underperforming veterans, the Steelers defense will be rebuilt with fresh legs, possibly starting with Landon Collins. The hard-hitting Alabama safety has been widely projected as a potential first-round pick for the Steelers at No. 22 overall, with Washington cornerback Marcus Peters also a name that surfaces frequently.

There are needs to address defensively for a suddenly offense-oriented team that won championships with grinding and pounding. But in the salary-cap era Pittsburgh is doing rebuilding right, using the proverbial Band-Aid removal approach: rip it off, bleed a little if you must, then heal quickly.