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The Pittsburgh Steelers have a giant elephant in the room, and that elephant is Ben Roethlisberger and his hefty $41 million dollar salary cap for the 2021 season. Since the end of the season, there has been nothing but speculation surrounding Roethlisberger’s future with the team.
Will he play under his current contract?
Will he sign an extension to decrease his cap hit?
Will he retire and call it a career?
Throughout it all we heard from Art Rooney II. We heard from Kevin Colbert. And now we hear from Roethlisberger’s agent, Ryan Tollner. This per Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network:
Ben Roethlisberger will indeed be back as the #Steelers starting QB this fall. Just connected w/ the two-time Super Bowl winner’s agent, Ryan Tollner, who said this: pic.twitter.com/YnWRWwkbeM
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) February 23, 2021
Tollner’s statement reads:
“They want Ben back and will contact me soon to address his cap situation. As we’ve shared since the season ended, we are happy to creatively adjust his contract to help them build the best team possible. A year ago, Ben wasn’t sure if he could throw again, but he battled back to get 12 wins and his 8th division title of his career. They lost steam down the stretch and that doesn’t sit will for him, so the fire burns strong and there is plenty of gas in the tank.”
Well, there you have it. This statement coming on the heals of the report Roethlisberger finally met with Rooney II to discuss his future with the team.
While this is all well and good, it still isn’t a done deal. There hasn’t been an extension signed. The salary cap hit is still huge. At this point, this is nothing more than lip service; however, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the new league year, NFL Free Agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.