Mar 9, 2016 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers finalized a deal Wednesday to keep starting left guard Ramon Foster, locking down a key component of their offensive line for three more years.

Foster, who turned 30 in January, had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Instead, he signed a three-year deal to remain with the Steelers hours before that deadline.

Later in the day, according to the NFL Network, the Steelers signed former San Diego tight end Ladarius Green to a four-year deal worth a reported $20 million. The deal included a $4.75 million signing bonus.

The league’s new year began at 4 p.m. Wednesday and a number of big moves were made across the NFL landscape.

As has typically been the case with the Steelers, they chose instead to focus on getting their own potential free agents under contract before turning their attention elsewhere.

Retaining Foster was considered crucial for a team that had long struggled with offensive line issues but has made great strides in recent seasons solidifying the unit.

Foster, who signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2009, has appeared in 109 games, including 82 starts in past six seasons.

Foster took to social media Wednesday to announce the deal.

“Let’s make more memories,” he posted on his Instagram page alongside some Steelers-related photos.

With the retirement of Heath Miller last month, the Steelers had a need for a starting quality tight end.

Green, 25, had been viewed in San Diego as the eventual replacement for Antonio Gates. But the Chargers signed Gates, 35, to a two-year deal, making Green expendable.

Green had 37 receptions for 429 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. He was especially effective early in the season while Gates was serving a suspension for a PED violation, catching 19 passes for 224 yards and two scores in the first four games. He had five catches for 50 yards in a 24-20 loss to the Steelers in Week 5.

The 6-6, 240-pound Green, a product of Louisiana-Lafayette, has appeared in 47 career games in four seasons. He has 77 receptions for 1,087 yards and seven touchdowns.

Green will join a tight end group that includes veteran Matt Spaeth, second-year player Jesse James and Xavier Grimble, who spent last season on the team’s practice squad. He is expected to arrive in Pittsburgh today to sign the deal.

Foster, meanwhile, was the fourth player the Steelers re-signed this week, keeping them from reaching free agency. The others included starting cornerback William Gay, safety Robert Golden and receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Pittsburgh did have five other starters reach free agency Wednesday – left tackle Kelvin Beachum, nose tackle Steve McLendon, cornerback Antwon Blake, strong safety Will Allen and fullback Will Johnson.

Other Steelers free agents include cornerback Brandon Boykin, quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski and Mike Vick, defensive linemen Cam Thomas and Clifton Geathers, offensive linemen Doug Legursky and Byron Stingily, inside linebacker Sean Spence and running back Jordan Todman.

The team remains interested in bringing some of those players back, particularly Beachum, McLendon and Johnson.

The Steelers had $11.3 million available in cap space when the new league year began.

The Steelers also chose Wednesday not to make a qualifying offer to restricted free agent linebacker Terence Garvin, making him an unrestricted free agent.