Pittsburgh Steelers retain QB Byron Leftwich for backup position with Charlie Batch-NFL News
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Byron Leftwich, will be competing for the backup position with Charlie Batch, just behind the No. 1 quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, after the team landed him a fresh one year deal.
Steelers have not disclosed terms of the deal.
Leftwich missed the entire 2011 National Football League (NFL) season with a broken arm and now with the renewal of his contract for another year, he is set to join the squad in the preseason activities.
He arrived in Pittsburgh in 2010 after having played four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jaguars had picked him at the seventh draft position in 2003.
Since then, he has been going places and has played for a number of teams during past several years. He moved to the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.
This is his second stint with Steelers. He had signed with them in 2008 but moved out of Pittsburgh next season and played for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009.
His second coming to Pittsburgh occurred in 2010 and after playing few games for them, he sat out of the entire next (2011) season due to the arm injury.
Leftwich’s previous deal was due to run out this year and the player said to be worried about his future.
Given the fact that the team has been going through some salary cap issues lately, there were concerns that the players like him might be left out of the team’s re-signing campaign.
Furthermore, the management is also tangled into deal issues with some of their veterans, who are demanding an expensive long-term deal from them.
Wide receiver, Mike Wallace, for example, has kept himself out of the team’s offseason voluntary workout to press his demand of a highly-paying contract.
Leftwich had remained patient and hopeful with his prospects of winning a new deal from the team. The decision to remain away from all controversies has finally paid off in the form a new contract.
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