"The best two safeties in the NFL -- Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed -- will be at M&T Bank Stadium today when the Steelers open their regular season against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers have ensured they will keep Polamalu, the 2010 NFL defensive player of the year, around much longer.

Beating by one day their own self-imposed deadline of not negotiating player contracts once the regular season begins, the Steelers signed Polamalu to a four-year, $36.5 million contract that includes a $10.55 million signing bonus -- a deal that averages $9.1 million annually and makes Polamalu the highest-paid safety in the NFL."