NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed linebacker LaMarr Woodley to a six-year contract that will keep him with the National Football League (NFL) team through to the end of the 2016 season, the Steelers said on Friday.
Financial terms were not announced but local media reported the deal was worth $61.5 million, including a $22.5 million signing bonus.
That would make Woodley the second highest-paid player on the team behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The 2009 Pro Bowl selection recorded 10 sacks last season to join James Harrison as the only Steelers to post double-digit sack totals in back-to-back seasons.
Woodley, 26, also set a league record by posting two sacks in each of his first four playoff games as the Steelers went on to win last season's AFC championship and reach the Super Bowl, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Julian Linden)