PITTSBURGH -- Offensive tackle Max Starks signed a four-year contract Tuesday, after the Pittsburgh Steelers designated him as their franchise player for the second consecutive season.

Financial terms of the deal -- which ties Starks to the team through 2012 -- were not immediately released. Starks earned just under $7 million as the team's franchise player in 2008.

Earlier, Starks had signed the Steelers' one-year tender for $8.451 million -- the average of the top five highest-paid tackles in the NFL.

He would have become an unrestricted free agent after the 2009 season if a long-term deal had not been reached.

Starks took over as the starting left tackle when Marvel Smith was sidelined with a back injury halfway through the 2008 season. Smith later signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent, clearing the way for Starks to assume the starting role in 2009.

Starks, now a two-time Super Bowl champion, was a third-round draft pick from the University of Florida in 2004. He's the Steelers' longest-tenured offensive lineman.

---

• Sports: More Pittsburgh Steelers Headlines
• RSS: Add Us To Your iGoogle Or My Yahoo Page

---