03/09/2010; 3:28 p.m. MST

By now you have probably heard that newly re-signed Pittsburgh Steeler, Ryan Clark, was on a visit with the Miami Dolphins on Monday. However, Clark abruptly left the city of sun and palm trees to return to the cold.

The question is why?

“I didn’t sign until this morning, and yes there were some things that happened that I didn’t necessarily expect,” said Clark to Fox31’s Josina Anderson Tuesday afternoon.

From his original signing as an undrafted free agent by the Giants, to his championship team experience in Pittsburgh, Clark always had a strong confidence about the level talent that he is.

That’s why in the end, even the lure of South Beach couldn’t keep Clark from under selling his talents.

“What it came down to was the inability for us to agree on a deal. (The Dolphins) offered what they thought was fair, but in the end I didn’t agree,” said Clark.

Last season, despite not playing in the game against the Denver Broncos, Clark racked up his highest career combination tackles total with 89, and tied his highest career interception total with three.   

Despite the fact that Clark left his heart in Pittsburgh, he says he set off on a flight for Florida eager to evaluate the foundation of a fresh start. Clark told Anderson that he was given a preliminary idea of what the Dolphins would pay him before he arrived.

“It’s a situation where before I left to visit Miami I didn’t have an offer from Pittsburgh. I had every intention of going to Miami with an open mind.”

However, what became immediately evident to the veteran safety upon his arrival is that both sides were further off than what he previously thought.

“They were definitely straight forward with me. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Bill Parcells team. I thought that I was going to be paid like a starter, but unfortunately for me the negotiations didn’t reflect that.”

Clark insists he wasn’t insulted by the Dolphins financial offer as much as he was just merely disappointed.

“It wasn’t an emotional response. There just comes a time in negotiations where you have to give a player reasons as to why you won’t stretch yourself financially. In the way that they responded to me, I could tell that they were being honest so that’s why I can’t be insulted, but I just didn’t agree,” said Clark emphatically.

It certainly didn’t help that the Dolphins signed former Arizona Cardinal, Karlos Dansby, to a five-year contract worth $43 million, which made him the highest paid linebacker in the league last Friday.

“They certainly showed Dansby how they felt about him with what they offered him, but I just felt like I would have to prove myself to (Dolphins head coach) Tony Sparano all over again; and in Pittsburgh I wouldn’t have to do that.”

The Dolphins apparently tried to explain their position tirelessly, but to no avail. They offered what they felt was an objective review of Clark’s talent, but he saw it as a critique that couldn’t immediately be fixed.

“They told my agent, ‘look, we just don’t know this guy. After we evaluate him more out there with us, maybe we’ll feel different about it.’ But I just figured, if this is how they  feel, these things aren’t going to change about me overnight,” said Clark.

At some point after that Clark knew his visit was over and it just wasn’t going to work. When he got back to his room, he received the support he was looking for.

“When I got back to the hotel, I received calls from (Pittsburgh Steelers head coach) Mike Tomlin, (Steelers defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau, and from (Steelers defensive backs coach) Ray Horton. They told me they were not just going to let me go, that they love me, and that they were going to fight for me,” revealed Clark to Anderson.

After that, the rest is Steelers history. Clark says he signed a four-year contract worth $14 million to return to the Steelers Tuesday morning.

But…

Wait a minute. Here’s an interesting note.

Clark told Anderson that even if the Steelers hadn’t jumped back into the equation, he would not have reconsidered his position with the Dolphins.

“Regardless of whether the Steelers would have stepped up, I would have left Miami without a deal because of the way they were handling the negotiations.”

For breaking news alerts and insider scoops follow Josina Anderson at www.twitter.com/josinaanderson