PITTSBURGH — Wide receiver Hines Ward signed his five-year contract extension Sunday with the Steelers, a deal that should allow the two-time Super Bowl winner to finish his career in Pittsburgh.
The contract runs through the 2013 season, though the 33-year-old Ward may not play that long.
“I think everybody in the organization wanted to see Hines conclude his career here, just like Jerome (Bettis) did,” director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. “He’s been such a big part of our success. You want a player like that to finish in a Steelers uniform. He was committed to that and we were committed to that, and thankfully it worked out.”
Ward’s extension is expected to be worth $22 million and allows the Steelers to spread out his signing bonus for salary cap purposes. Ward will make less this season than the $5.8 million he would have made in the final season of the $27.5 million, five-year contract he signed in 2005, but much of the money will be made up in a signing bonus.
Ward, a 1998 draft pick, owns the Steelers’ record with 800 career catches and is 220 yards way from reaching the 10,000-yard career mark.
“You love Hines,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He embodies what’s important to us in terms of how he approaches the game. He’s a football player first and a wide receiver second. He’s got a passion for the game, a desire to win and compete. He’s Hines.”
Ward was the Super Bowl MVP when the Steelers beat Seattle 21-10 for the NFL title in February 2006. Bettis, the fifth-leading rusher in NFL history who played all but the first three seasons of his 13-season career with Pittsburgh, retired after that game.
Last season, Ward had his best year statistically since 2003, making 81 catches for 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season. Pittsburgh went on to beat Arizona 27-23 in the Super Bowl.
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