Larry Foote Returns to Pittsburgh

Money was enough to convince Larry Foote to leave one of the NFL's winningest franchises last year to play for one of its losingest.

Money and losing, apparently, were enough to send him back.

A starter for a pair of Super Bowl champions in Pittsburgh, Foote agreed to a reported three-year contract deal worth more than $9 million to return to the Steelers Monday.

"I didn't think it would happen, but I'm glad to be back," Foote said.

Foote, an inside linebacker, left Pittsburgh following its '08 world-championship campaign to sign a one-year, free-agent deal with Detroit, where he grew up and went on to play collegiately at Michigan. The Lions, who went 0-16 the year before, won two games in '09, with Foote leading the team in tackles with 99 to go with two sacks.

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In Pittsburgh, Foote started 80 consecutive regular season games from '04-08, including all playoff games during the Super Bowl runs in '05 and '08, and averaged 81 tackles during his last five years. He'll provide depth at linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 scheme that probably suits him better than the 4-3 system the Lions ran.

Foote, 29, took visits to Washington and Arizona, both 3-4 teams, before opting to return to the club that drafted him in the fourth round in 2002. He told reporters during his Cardinals visit that he was looking to return to a winning organization.