Steelers NT Casey Hampton gets supersize contract

Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton eschewed unrestricted free-agency, signing a three-year $21.3 million contract just before the deadline for designating franchise players. It’s a surprisingly large deal — especially when one considers Hampton’s age (33 in September), and the fact that he would have earned $7 million in salary in 2010 had he been designated the team’s franchise player. In essence, the Steelers got no discount for giving Hampton a multi-year deal.

However, signing Hampton enabled Pittsburgh to use its franchise tag on kicker Jeff Reed, who will remain with the team for at least one more season. Barring a long-term contract agreement with the Steelers, Reed will earn a salary of $2,814,000 in 2010.