Starks had been tagged as the Steelers’ franchise player so the entire deal is automatically guranteed. The former backup was forced into a starter role when Marvel Smith struggled with back problems and Starks performed so well that the Steelers wanted to ensure he didn’t depart via free agency.

As of Starks’ signing, there are 11 other franchise players that have been tagged by their team but have yet to sign. Franchise players are allowed to negotiate with other teams, however, they would cost interested teams two first round draft picks to sign away from the team that tagged them. With early draft picks playing such an important roll in today’s game, teams are rarely willing to meet that asking price.