We are left with more questions than answers at the end of Mike Tomlin’s final press conference for the 2020 season.
A big question at hand was what the Steelers plan to do with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose current contract expires at the end of the 2021 season.
When WPXI sports announcer Alby Oxenreiter asked Tomlin if it was realistic to expect Roethlisberger to return, given the implications of the salary cap, Tomlin said, “I think it is reasonable to assume that there is a chance he will come back, for sure.”
Roethlisberger’s return comes with a salary cap of $ 41 million or 23% of the overall cap, according to OverTheCap.com. The contract will pay him $ 19 million – $ 4 million in base salary and a $ 15 million on-call bonus due on March 15. The remaining $ 22.25 million is a prorated bonus, which counts as either dead money or money for which Pittsburgh will be responsible, even if Ben is released or retires.
Tomlin says he is not aware of the current situation of the Steelers’ salary cap. “I am very much in the information gathering phase there,” he said.
Whatever the Steelers decide, we will know before March 15, when that $ 15 million bonus is due.