Tim Benz from 105.9 The X caught up with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu on Tuesday for a great interview and asked Troy about his health as it related to his play on the field last season. Benz also ventured to ask Troy about his contract status right now and here are the questions and answers of that segment of the interview.
Benz: How about your status, your contract status moving forward? Are you willing to renegotiate if the team ask you?
Polamalu: Absolutely! I want to retire a Pittsburgh Steeler. I would hope this next contract, God willing, would be a retirement contract.
Benz: When you say that, what do you mean in terms of years?
Polamalu: Yeah, in terms of years. You know to be able to retire a Pittsburgh Steeler would be a dream of mine and they have been very fair to me in the past so I am sure they will be fair to me hopefully in the future, but we\’ll see.
Benz: What in terms of years is a retirement contract for Troy Polamalu at this point? 4, 5 or is that too many?
Polamalu: I would be happy with either of those, 4 or 5 years, but I hate to put a number on it too, because you know maybe I can get kick started and play another 7 or 8 or even more than that.
Benz: Would you really want to play 8 more years?
Polamalu: You know I enjoy football. When I stop enjoying football is when I\’ll stop playing, but I feel like I would enjoy it for that much longer, for sure. So we\’ll see how things work out. I\’m happy to be here for this point in my career, for going into my 9th season and God willing will have many more.
Benz: That seems to be a real difference for you. I know you\’re not a huge football fan, you don\’t watch alot of football, you don\’t do alot of football stuff when you\’re not actually playing, but is playing football enough of a charge for you still that you would want to do it for 8 more years? I always thought that you might be a guy that would walk away at 30 or 31.
Polamalu: Well, I\’m 30 now. So no, definitely not. I don\’t enjoy watching football. No, not at all. I really don\’t enjoy watching football, but playing football is a different story. I enjoy the practices. I enjoy the games, but the other stuff you know I could do without. I feel like a football purist. I\’d be just as excited to play for 70,000 people or if nobody\’s out there.
The interview continued on and Troy talked about Ike Taylor and what he means to the Steelers defense and the style of defense the Steelers play. This is a must listen to interview and you can hear it in its entirety here.
