The Pittsburgh Steelers are having a tough time with Ben Roethlisberger, and they may be forced to renew him against better judgment.
When an 11-0 start faded to a 12-4 win and a playoff loss in the wild card round for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, the erosion of Ben Roethlisberger became evident. Just before his 39th birthday (March 2nd), the talk of his future is back to normal and retirement could be an option. At the very least, the Steelers must rightly think about who will succeed him.
Roethlisberger enters the final year of his contract in 2021, peaking at $ 41.25 million. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoken in a circle about Roethlisberger, who comes back after the season is over and says: “It is reasonable to expect that there is a chance that he will come back safely.” What?
Steeler’s owner Art Rooney II admitted, in part because of a lower salary cap. there should be “Significant concessions” for Roethlisberger he should be back in 2021. For his part, Roethlisberger said he wanted to restructure his contract and he didn’t care how much he paid. Later on, let’s call it a huge bluff. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan earlier this week, The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette didn’t buy it either.
“When he talks to Ben, he wants to do something. You want to get something done. And I know he said he didn’t care about his salary, but I don’t believe it for a minute. I think they’ll have to pay him if he’s not embarrassed to come back and play. “
The Steelers could be forced to renew Ben Roethlisberger
As Joel Corry of CBS Sports pointed out, the Steelers have been kicking the can with Roethlisberger for years. In April 2019, he signed a two-year contract extension for $ 68 million. Last March, its 2020 cap was lowered by nearly $ 10 million by converting $ 19.5 million of his compensation into a signing bonus for $ 21 million in 2020. That move increased its 2021 cap by $ 9.75 million.
The lower end of the projected salary cap for 2021 ($ 176 million) is reflected in Over The Cap. On that basis, the Steelers are currently in the red at $ 35.1 million. With the wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and the edge rusher Bud Dupree, the free agency is hit prominently, and neither of them seem to be losing less than market value. Even a more optimistic wage cap for 2021 leaves the Steelers with much to do.
An additional element of the equation is the $ 15 million roster bonus that Roethlisberger is due on the third day of the league year. If he retires or is cut (before June 1, unlikely but worth noting) the Steelers would still carry $ 22.25 million in dead money.
If the Steelers commit to running it back with Roethlisberger next season, and even on some issues there is no real reason to believe they don’t, an expansion will be needed to reduce his massive cap hit . It’s all about how many meaningful years are approached, what the numbers look like and whether Roethlisberger agrees with these things.
If he does not agree to the terms published there, a very different Pandora’s box will be opened.
