Steelers may be forced to extend Ben Roethlisberger, and they did it to themselves

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a tough spot with Ben Roethlisberger, and they may be forced to extend him against better judgement.

As an 11-0 start faded to a 12-4 finish and a playoff loss in the Wild Card Round for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, the erosion of Ben Roethlisberger became clear. Approaching his 39th birthday (March 2), talk about his future is prevalent again and retirement might be an option. At the very least, the Steelers have to legitimately be thinking about who will succeed him.

Roethlisberger is entering the final year of his contract in 2021, with a league-high $41.25 million cap hit. Head coach Mike Tomlin talked in circles about Roethlisberger coming back after the season was over, saying “it’s reasonable to expect there’s a chance he’ll be back, certainly.” What?

Steelers owner Art Rooney II acknowledged, due in part to a lower salary cap. there would have to be “significant concessions” for Roethlisberger to be back in 2021. For his part, Roethlisberger has said he wants to restructure his contract and doesn’t care how much he’s paid. On the later point, let’s call a huge bluff. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan this week, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic didn’t buy it either.

“Talking to Ben, he’d like to get something done. They’d like to get something done. And I know he said he doesn’t care about his salary, but I don’t believe that for a minute. I believe that they’re going to have to pay him where he’s not going to be embarrassed to come back and play.”

The Steelers may be forced to extend Ben Roethlisberger

As Joel Corry of CBS Sports laid out in detail, the Steelers have been effectively kicking the can down the road with Roethlisberger for years. He signed a two-year, $68 million contract extension in April of 2019. They lowered his 2020 cap number by nearly $10 million last March by converting $19.5 million of his $21 million in 2020 compensation into a signing bonus. That move raised his 2021 cap number by $9.75 million.

The low end of the projected 2021 salary cap ($176 million) is reflected on Over The Cap. Based on that, the Steelers are $35.1 million in the red right now. With wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and edge rusher Bud Dupree prominently set to hit free agency, and neither seeming likely to take less than market value. Even a more optimistic 2021 salary cap leaves the Steelers with a lot of work to do.

An added element to the equation is the $15 million roster bonus Roethlisberger is due on the third day of the league year. If he retires or is cut (before June 1, unlikely but worth mentioning), the Steelers would still carry $22.25 million in dead money.

If the Steelers are committed to running it back with Roethlisberger next season, and even with some questions there’s no real reason to think they’re not, an extension to reduce his massive cap hit will be necessary. It’s just a matter of how many meaningful years are tacked on, what the numbers look like and if Roethlisberger is agreeable to those things.

If he’s not agreeable to the terms that will be put out there, then a whole other Pandora’s Box will be opened.