Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers came to the conclusion that they will join forces once again in 2021. With the hardest part resolved, the Steelers can just put a few years of emptiness into Ben’s deal and end it, right? Not so fast. The Pittsburgh Steelers have never put voidable years into a contract, ever. So if Ben Roethlisberger wants to return in 2021, I see a much greater likelihood that legitimate years of play will be added to the end of his deal.
What maximum restructuring of Ben Roethlisberger’s current contract with # Thieves it would seem, releasing $ 14.34 million of cap in 2021, but adding $ 14.34 million of dead cap for 2022, when the deal cancels. pic.twitter.com/2wIpNfUomb
– Spotrac (@spotrac) February 24, 2021
It is very easy to explain why. With years annulable, the Steelers would be essentially investing money in future cap hits, without having the player on the roster. To a real extent, however, Ben Roethlisberger can choose to retire whenever he wants, but both sides can agree to work together for at least one more season.
It is also very clear that Steelers President Art Rooney II has a very special bond with the Steelers quarterback. Rooney personally gave Roethlisberger his seal of approval to return in 2021 and beyond. Regardless of who wanted to change things on the front lines, Rooney himself has more power within the organization. Whatever he says, from the outside it seems that Rooney is not willing to separate the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger until Roethlisberger is ready to hang up the boots himself.
A real extension can also save Steelers $ 14,340,000 in the wage ceiling in 2021. Whatever wages the two sides agree on for the next few years, that money will be counted. But working on such a deal could still lead the Steelers to about $ 7,000,000 above the salary cap. This does not necessarily mean that Roethlisberger will play another season after 2021, however, if his level of play is sufficient and Ben wants to continue, adding a legitimate year or two would keep the door open if both sides so desired. Adding a salary component each year keeps Roethlisberger tied to the Steelers if both sides agree and change nothing if Roethlisberger chooses to retire before the end of the contract.
While some people will cringe at the thought of Ben Roethlisberger’s several years in charge of the Steelers attack, I must remind him of what he fought when the Steelers collapsed at the end of the season. That is, his offensive coordinator lacked creativity and was extremely predictable, the Steelers executing the classified attack at the bottom of the league, Ben was battling injuries to both knees, he spent the pre-2020 season in rehab and his offensive line regressed. The Steelers have already started the process of fixing some of these problems and with a strong draft they can give Roethlisberger the scheme and talent to improve last year.
But what do you think? Would the Steelers break the tradition of never using voidable years in Roethlisberger’s next contract? Will he play after 2021? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.