Pittsburgh Steelers owner fully expects extension with Big Ben

By Cory Buck | Jan 22, 2015

Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws the ball as Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) defends in the second half during the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Ravens won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney told local media that he expects to sign quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a contract extension this summer.

Coming off the best statistical season of his career, Ben Roethlisberger can expect to make a pretty penny when he and his agent sit at the negotiating table with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Team president and owner Art Rooney may regret putting off talks with Ben last summer, but if he does he’s playing that close to the vest.

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“I will take that problem,” Rooney told Trib-Live Sports. “I am not complaining about it. I would rather have that situation than the reverse.”

Roethlisberger stands to get a raise from the $18 million cap hit he’s already making on the contract he signed in 2008. With its expiration set for after this season, the Steelers know it’s time to sign Ben to one more big deal in an effort to win at least one more Super Bowl in his career. The plan is and has been to do just that this summer.

“I think it is fair to say the sooner the better,” Rooney said of contract talks. “But I am not going to put any particular time frame on these things. It is kind of hard to predict how long it takes to get something done. But we certainly want to get something done this offseason. That’s for sure.”

Roethlisberger tied Drew Brees this season atop the league in passing yards with 4,952. He also set franchise records for touchdowns (32) and completions (408). The Steelers were the second-ranked offense in the league thanks in large part to an arsenal of weapons at the skill positions and a quarterback who stands firmly in his prime.

Thanks to Roethlisberger hitting Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and others in the passing game at unprecedented levels, Big Ben can look forward to a deal that puts him in the highest echelon of salaries in the NFL. He’s a top-tier quarterback with two Super Bowl rings and now a statistical season that can stand up to just about any put up in recent memory.

The Steelers will have to find a way to pay Ben his due while also carving out cap space for sack leader Jason Worilds among others. The defense ranked in the lower half of the league and stood as the team’s liability in their playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

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