There has been a lot of speculation recently that the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to move on from Ben Roethlisberger, but it sounds like the quarterback will play at least one more season for the team.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II issued a statement on Wednesday morning addressing Roethlisberger’s future with the team. Rooney says he had a “productive” meeting with Big Ben on Tuesday in which he assured the QB the team wants him back next year. The two sides will now focus on reworking Roethlisberger’s contract.
Statement from #Steelers President Art Rooney II on QB Ben Roethlisberger: pic.twitter.com/mB0CwkmrCh
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) February 24, 2021
Roethlisberger’s agent said this week that Ben is “happy to creatively adjust his contract” to help Pittsburgh build a better team around him. Those remarks came not long after a report claimed some with the Steelers want to part ways with Roethlisberger.
As it currently stands, Roethlisberger has a salary cap hit of $41 million for 2021. The Steelers aren’t going to pay that much for a 38-year-old quarterback whose skills have declined, and Roethlisberger is obviously fine with that.
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, but it appears that is at least a year away.
