Troy Polamalu is announcing his retirement tonight. According to Jim Wexell, via the Herald Standard, Polamalu phoned Dan Rooney last night to inform him of his decision.

Even though this was expected, I still feel like I’m writing a eulogy. Polamalu was is a legend. In his prime, he could change the dynamic, hell, the outcome of a game at any given time. He forced opposing coaches to make their players wear wigs in practice. He could grow an extra finger momentarily to pick off a quarterback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhNn38e3EXk

His resume speaks for itself, and even though so many ‘all time greats’ have donned the Steelers jersey, Troy’s name is iconic. During his illustrious 12 year career, he made it to 8 Pro Bowls, was All Pro 5 times, saw 2 Super Bowl Championships, was the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and made the 2000’s All Decade Team.

Polamalu’s retirement will save the Steelers $3.75 Mil in cap space this season. Polamalu said he didn’t seriously consider playing anywhere else. It was just a matter of deciding if he wanted to continue playing. In the end, he said it was about his family. “It’s all about family,” said Polamalu. “I live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I’ve had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had before. It was awesome.”

Thanks for the memories, #43.

The Steelers provided a brief update on Troy Polamalu’s contract status this morning. The update: there is no update. Here is the full release provided on the team’s website.

“At this time, we do not have an update on Troy Polamalu or his contract status. We will continue to communicate with Troy and his representatives regarding his future.”

Why release a statement with no real information? Perhaps it was strategic. If the front office hasn’t heard much from Troy’s camp, maybe they’re looking to light a subtle fire under them.

Troy is slotted to count $8.25 Mil against the cap this year if nothing changes. The odds of that happening are about as close to none as it can get. The likely scenarios are: a) the team releases Troy and designates him a June 1st cut. b) the team asks Troy to take a very significant pay cut. c) Troy retires.

The team could outright release Troy, but the difference between that and a June 1st designation is $2.25 Mil in cap savings this year. If Troy were to retire, the team could possibly recoup some of his signing bonus money, but that gets a little murky, and recent rumors have indicated Troy doesn’t plan on retiring.

Regardless of how it plays out, Troy’s future in Pittsburgh will be known very soon.

Throughout the week, there has been much speculation regarding Troy Polamalu’s availability for the Ravens game, and whether he should start tonight even if healthy. Some of that speculation was incited by Coach Tomlin earlier this week, when he was non-committal when asked about playing a healthy Polamalu.

Tomlin put the question to rest today. “Yes he does,” said Tomlin when asked if Polamalu will start. Tomlin added that it’s not a difficult decision when Troy is the subject. He also explained why he was non-committal about Troy earlier in the week.  “I needed to see him prepare. Sometimes a guy is able to play at the 11th hour and they don’t get the in-helmet preparation over the course of the work week.

“When you get to January football and the stakes are high, detail is going to define you. Not only him but us, and you need that in-helmet preparation to do it. He was able to practice this week, and so that made the decision easier. Had he not been able to practice this week, that’s an element of the discussion that makes it more complex. That’s what I was referring to earlier in the week.”

Troy practiced last week, but was inactive on gameday. If Polamalu does indeed start tonight, it will be the 15th time he’s done so in the post-season.