The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a restructured contract with Ben Roethlisberger, and it involved the star quarterback taking a pay cut.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers have lowered Roethlisberger’s pay from $19 million to $14 million and spread the cash payment through 2022. The new deal lowered Roethlisberger’s salary cap hit by more than $15 million.
It is not uncommon for players to reduce their salary cap hit by spreading money out, but oftentimes that does not involve a pay cut. There are ways for teams to manipulate their cap space by converting money into bonuses and other means. Roethlisberger restructured his deal but also took a pay cut to help the Steelers build a more competitive roster.
Roethlisberger was initially supposed to have a cap hit of $41 million for 2021, and he openly said he was willing to work with the team to lower that. Despite that, there were rumblings that some within the organization would prefer to move on from Big Ben.
Roethlisberger was still productive last season. He passed for 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns while leading Pittsburgh to a 12-3 record. Some have made the argument that he should retire, and it would not be a surprise if he did that after next season.
