To protect themselves against the Ben Roethlisberger suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich on Tuesday.

Leftwich was signed through the end of the season with a $2 million dollar base salary, and today, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the team has extended Leftwich's contract through the 2011 season.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Leftwich's contract, which he entered into with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last off-season, had a multi-million dollar roster bonus that was based on incentives which Leftwich did not reach. The Steelers could have rolled some of that roster bonus into some up-front money for Leftwich, and reduced his base salaries for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Leftwich started three games for the Buccaneers last season, but was replaced due to poor play, and ultimately finished the season on injured reserve with an elbow injury.