Ben Roethlisberger may need to take a pay cut to return to Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II has said that if Ben Roethlisberger wants to return next season, he’ll need to take a pay cut. 

Everyone in Pittsburgh is waiting to see if Ben Roethlisberger will retire or return to the Steelers next season. Roethlisberger has one year left on his two-year, $68 million extension he signed with the team in April 2019.

It’s looking like Roethlisberger is leaning toward suiting up this fall, but it’s not that simple. Per team owner Art Rooney II, he and his star quarterback have spoken about next season. At the same time, Rooney II has made it clear to Roethlisberger they can’t afford to pay him what he’s scheduled to make so he may need to take a pay cut in order to play.

Ben Roethlisberger has one year left on his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Roethlisberger is set to make $4 million through his base salary, but with a $15 million roster bonus and $12.5 million signing bonus. He also has the largest cap hit of any player in the NFL at $41.25 million.

The veteran signal-caller just wrapped up his 17th season with the Steelers. Unfortunately for Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh, the team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs to the Cleveland Browns.

After that defeat, Roethlisberger was among the multiple Steelers players who were seen leaving the field in tears. You could tell just how much that loss meant to him, especially with Maurkice Pouncey expected to retire as well.

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, it looks like Roethlisberger wants to give things one final go with the rest of his teammates. However, Rooney II has told him that they’ll need to restructure his contract to make it happen. Roethlisberger can either agree to take a pay cut or hang up his cleats. A huge decision is on the way.