All-Pro Hines Ward and the Steelers have yet to come to terms. Ward still has a year left on his current contract that will pay him in the neighborhood of $1.6 million. The Steelers have said Ward would be a top priority this off-season. Ward said he would like to be paid on par with the game's best receivers.

When his 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins ended with the 1999 season, Dan Marino turned down a well-publicized offer from the Minnesota Vikings. On Thursday, Marino said he also was approached by other teams, including the Steelers and coach Bill Cowher. "I had a chance to go to Pittsburgh," Marino said. "I don't think anybody knew that. ... Cowher called me about playing, but I had to make a decision within a couple of days, because he already had a guy that he was going to sign." Instead, the Pittsburgh native -- 38 years old and hampered by injuries -- decided against playing in 2000. "At the time, I just kept thinking back to how my body felt the year before," he said. "And to me there was something special about playing 17 years in one place. Although I was pretty close to doing it, it just didn't feel right. I probably could have played another year, no doubt."

Carolina linebacker Mark Fields and Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis are among the winners of the Pro Football Writers Awards, announced Monday. Fields, who returned to the NFL after battling cancer, won the George Halas Award. It's given to a player who performed despite injury or personal problems off the field. Bettis won the inaugural Good Guy Award, given to a league or club official for his cooperation with pro football writers. Fields will miss the upcoming season with a recurrence of Hodgkin's disease. Sidelined in 2003 when the Panthers made the Super Bowl, he returned last season and made the Pro Bowl for the second time. He had 60 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.