The news that everyone was waiting for finally came on Thursday, when it was reported that the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had agreed on a new deal for the 2021 season.
If you are not well versed in massaging and manipulating the salary cap, you may have developed the same type of headache that I did while trying to understand this new deal. Fortunately, BTSC co-editor Dave Schofield seems to understand these things much better than I do, and he divided them up very well on Thursday. At least I think he did. Did I accurately convey how confusing all this left me?
Anyway, the version of CliffsNotes is that Roethlisberger had a real pay cut from $ 19 million to $ 14 million in 2021 (I have to tell you, I didn’t see that coming from the big guy). Most of that $ 14 million will be prorated over the next few years after the next season (I think), and Steelers will save $ 15 million in limit space for 2021.
That’s enough? I would like to think that it is more than enough a financial sacrifice for a quarterback who seemed to have a lot more left in his tank than so many revisionists in history are suddenly willing to admit after a rather ugly ending to what started as a promising 2020 campaign .
If it were me, and I was coming out of a season where I gave 33 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions just a year after having major elbow surgery, I would have told my bosses to put their pay cut where the sun didn’t immediately shine. I signed with the Patriots after my inevitable launch.
But Roethlisberger doesn’t seem to be as vindictive as I do. I don’t want to overstate my praise for the great sacrifice made by a man who has won more than $ 253 million from the Steelers in 17 seasons according to Fanduel, but it must be very painful for the ego when its bosses insist that you tear up an original contract and agree to earn less with a new one.
Athletes do not reach the level of Roethlisberger without an incredible sense of self-worth and confidence. Undoubtedly, Roethlisberger still has both, but perhaps his desire to come out on top outweighs everything else. He’s almost 40 years old. He’s married. He has three kids. Maybe he realizes that the only thing that matters to him now in the sense of football is to compete, have fun and win another title.
Can you imagine this story, the big guy coming out on top after so many – including national experts, local experts and his real fans – demanding that he do the “right thing” and leave?
In any case, I don’t know if a cut in pay and the $ 15 million savings will satisfy enough people. I have already read about concerns about the continuation of the salary cap that can be kicked beyond 2021. But “we” need not worry about that. The Steelers, yes. The only thing that concerns me is the coming season and the team being able to put enough players around Roethlisberger to compete.
In my opinion, this new deal gives Steelers the best chance of competing in 2021. Why? Because it saves them a lot of money, in addition, they manage to keep the franchise defender. Is Roethlisberger the same defender from five years ago? No. Is he one of the top five or ten in the NFL today? Probably not. But he was the best that the Steelers would actually employ in 2021.
In short, Roethlisberger did everything he could for the Steelers financially in 2021, without actually retiring. Now, it’s up to the Steelers to build a good cast around him.
As for everyone? It’s time for them to stop calling Ben Roethlisberger to do anything else except show up on the training ground and prepare to fight like hell for the Steelers in 2021.