PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are apparently in conversations that could lead to the starting quarterback returning for the 2021 season.
Aditi Kinkhabwala, reporter for the NFL Network, posted a screenshot of her correspondence with Roethlisberger's agent Ryan Tollner who said the following:
"They want Ben back and will contact me soon to address his cap situation," he said, referring to the Super Bowl winner's pay. "As we've shared since the season ended, we are happy to creatively adjust his contract to help them build the best team possible. A year ago, Ben wasn't sure if he could throw again, but he battled back to get 12 wins and the 8th division title of his career. They lost steam down the stretch and that doesn't sit well for him, so the fire burns strong and there is plenty of gas in the tank."
According to Steelers president Art Rooney II, he and the team would like to have Roethlisberger back next season. He put out the following statement in regards to reports that he will be returning.
"Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting," the statement read. "We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go. Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that we would like to have him back to help us win a championship. We both understand that the next step is to work out Ben's contract situation.”
As noted by Rooney's statement, the details of Roethlisberger's contract are still in the works.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers can likely get Roethlisberger’s cap hit for next season down to about $26-27 million. Doing so would get the team into compliance with the cap, "which is expected to be between $180-190 million."
What is most likely going to happen is that Roethlisberger will get all of his money, and the team will push off the cap until a later date, also according to the Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger's contract will most likely be worked out in the next few weeks when the new league year begins considering he is owed a $15 million roster bonus on March 19, the Post-Gazette reporter, Ray Fittipaldo went on.
Fittipaldo goes on to say that getting into compliance isn't the end goal for the Steelers. Bringing Roethlisberger back will create enough cap space to build a winning team. There are several steps the team could take in the next few weeks in order to achieve that, Fittipaldo says, like signing a couple free agents or picking up a starting center or tight end in free agency.
The team has other things to worry about coming up as well, according to Fittipaldo, the draft for one. Additional restructures, releases, and extensions among veteran players, as well as other uncertain positions on the team that will need to be addressed like outside linebacker Bud Dupree and cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Mike Hilton having expiring contracts.
