2007 Pro Bowl at strong safety. 2007 On July 23, 2007, the Steelers signed Polamalu to a four-year contract extension worth $30.19 million with $15.37 million guaranteed. The contract made him the highest paid safety in the league, but was surpassed by Bob Sanders on December 28, 2007, when he was signed to a five-year, $37.5 million contract with $20 million in guarantees. In an article on ESPN.com, Polamalu said, "I did not want to be a player who is jumping from team to team." Polamalu had repeatedly expressed his intent on staying with the Steelers. He remained the starting strong safety under new head coach Mike Tomlin. On September 23, 2007, Polamalu recorded an eight combined tackles and made a pass deflection, as the Steelers defeated the San Francisco 49ers 37–16. He was unable to play in a Week 5 contest against the Seattle Seahawks with an abdominal injury. During a Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a season-high ten combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 22–29 loss. Polamalu had an injury plagued season and missed Weeks 12–14 with a sprained knee. He finished the 2007 season with 58 combined tackles (45 solo) and nine pass deflections in 12 games and 11 starts. Polamalu was named a reserve to the 2008 Pro Bowl despite having no interceptions and only playing in 11 games during the 2007 season. 2008 Polamalu suffered a hamstring injury during his off-season workout and missed the entire 2008 training camp. He started the Steelers' season-opener against the Houston Texans and recorded three solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by Matt Schaub during their 38–17 victory. The following week, he had his second consecutive interception and four solo tackles as the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns, 10–6. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Browns. During a Week 3 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, Polamalu made five solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by Donovan McNabb during a 15–6 loss. This marked his third consecutive game with an interception. On November 16, 2008, he collected three solo tackles, defended a pass, and intercepted a pass by San Diego Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, in an 11–10 victory. A fumble he returned for a touchdown at the end of the game was taken off the board as the officials