Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be set for one last major contract, but he’s not concerned with setting a record with it.
Roethlisberger said Sunday at his football camp that he would rather set records with wins, and he’s willing to leave some money on the table to better reward teammates.
“I care about record-breaking Super Bowl wins and things like that — that’s more important to me,” Roethlisberger said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “I have two years on my contract. I’m not going to be one to sit here and worry about my contract. That’s not my job. My job is to play football. I’ll let my representation, the Steelers worry about all that stuff. To me, it’s all about going out and playing now. I think there are a lot more, maybe a lot more important people who need to get their deals done now. For me to do it two years out, if it doesn’t make sense for the team, I’m not going to sit here and worry about it.”
Roethlisberger added that it’s important to him that key teammates are taken care of, naming two of his key offensive linemen, Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert.
“It’s important, too, to understand as quarterback of this team, sometimes you almost have to leave a little bit of money behind for other guys,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s not my job, that’s not my thing to worry about. That’s why I have agents.
“I know in two years, Pouncey, Gilbert, there are other very important guys up that I hope get taken care of. Because if they aren’t here, I’m not here. That’s the way it is; they are that good.”
Roethlisberger may well talk about his contract with the Steelers after 2018, as things have changed a lot in the market since he signed his current deal in 2015. The Steelers have interest in doing it, but it doesn’t sound like Big Ben is interested in joining the rush of record quarterback deals.
