Ok guys, we're starting to talk free agents 'round here, but really, there's no way to tell what kind of financial flexibility we may have on the open market until we re-up Big Ben's deal in the next several weeks. If he wants more than Marc Bulger and Tony Romo, as is being reported, that might mean we have far less to work with than we might have hoped. Bulger and Romo both are guaranteed in the $30 million range, with deals that can pay out as much as $60-$70 million over the life of the contract. Sure Ben might 'deserve' more than those guys, but it sure would hamstring our ability to build a competitive team. Both Manning and Brady have renegotiated in year's past to keep their team's financial situation in tact.
My question to you is what should Big Ben get paid in a strictly rational market, and secondly, what will he get paid, after factoring in whether Roethlisberger might ask for a bit less and factoring in what we know about the Rooneys.
It might help to reference this list of what QBs around the league made in 2007.