PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker James Farrior to a five-year, $18.2 million contract extension that includes a $5 million signing bonus.
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Farrior was signed through this season, but the 12-year-veteran had hoped to sign an extension that would keep him in Pittsburgh until he retired.
"That's the game plan, to finish out my career here," Farrior said. "The Steelers have been good to me, and I have put all my heart and soul into this, so I'll just try to close it out."
The bulk of the contract is for the first three seasons, valued at $12.6 million, including $10 million in the first two years.
"James has played at an extremely high level the entire time I have been here," second-year coach Mike Tomlin said. "Not only is he an outstanding player, he's also an outstanding professional and, of course, he's an outstanding leader for us."
Farrior has missed only four of the Steelers' last 96-regular season games, starting in all the others. He has 705 tackles in his six years with the team.
Farrior played for the New York Jets before joining the Steelers as a free agent in 2002. He was a Steelers' defensive co-captain in 2004 when he made his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
The Steelers play their third preseason game Saturday night at Minnesota.
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