While Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game will undoubtedly be the last time a few players put on a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, veteran linebacker Lawrence Timmons hopes he isn’t one of them.
After being trounced 36-17 by the Patriots in Foxborough, Timmons, who will be an unrestricted free agent in March, indicated once again that he hopes to re-sign with the Steelers in order to finish his career where it started back in 2007 when he was drafted in the first round.
“I’m die hard Pittsburgh. This is where I want to be,” Timmons said following the loss to the Patriots, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network.
Timmons’ comments are not the least surprising as he’s stated for sometime now that he hopes to re-sign with the Steelers after not having his contract extended prior to the start of the 2016 campaign.
While Timmons will turn 31 years of age in May, he showed during the 2016 season that he still likely has one or two years left in him. The Steelers, however, did re-sign a much younger Vince Williams in lieu of Timmons prior to the start of the 2016 regular season.
Timmons, who hasn’t missed a game since the 2009 season, recorded 114 total tackles during the 2016 regular season in addition 5 defensed passes, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
If the Steelers do ultimately re-sign Timmons in the coming months it will likely be at a very reduced rate. The Florida State product earned $8.75 million in 2016.
In Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, Timmons led the defense in tackles with 14.
