Dec 13, 2020; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) warms up prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
3 teams that could sign Ben Roethlisberger if the Steelers cut him
If the Pittsburgh Steelers cut Ben Roethlisberger, and it’s a huge ‘if’, these three teams could sign him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the last undefeated team in the NFL in 2020, reaching 11-0 before fading to 12-4 and being outclassed by the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round. The symbol of that drop-off was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2021.
Years of kicking the salary cap can down the road has reached a point of reckoning for the Steelers. Roethlisberger is set to carry a league-high $41.25 million cap hit this year, which combined with the Steelers’ overall cap issues makes a contract extension a virtual certainty.
Unless…well, let’s look at what Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert said earlier this week.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert doesn't give a strong endorsement for Ben Roethlisberger as QB in 2021: "As we sit here today, Ben is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. … He reiterated to us that he wants to continue to play. We told him we have to look at this current situation."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 17, 2021
“As we sit here today” is not exactly a ringing declaration Roethlisberger will be back. In fact, it reeks of what Rams general manager Les Snead said about Jared Goff right before trading him.
So there’s a faint idea Roethlisberger won’t be in a Steelers uniform next season, and also that it won’t be because he retired. The Steelers can clear $19 million in cap space by cutting him, and take on the remainder of his cap hit ($22.25 million) in dead money. Trading him is possible, but the market for a 39-year old quarterback (on March 2) who looks like a shell of what he was surely wouldn’t be robust.
There is a path for Ben Roethlisberger to be the Steelers quarterback not only today, but also for the 2021 season.
But those options will test the sincerity of the QB’s words that he doesn’t care about his pay this year.
From @GetUpESPN this morning ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Vo6JQuMc3h
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 18, 2021
So let’s walk down the path where the Steelers cut their long-time signal caller.
3 teams who could sign Ben Roethlisberger if the Steelers cut him
3. Washington Football Team
Though they won the NFC East last season with just a 7-9 record last season, Washington looks like a team on the rise under head coach Ron Rivera. They also have a big question at quarterback, as they weigh keeping Alex Smith and as they’ve already re-signed Taylor Heinicke to fit somewhere on the depth chart.
Washington has the fifth-most cap space in the league right now ($38.27 million, according to Over The Cap), so they can bolster the roster any way they see fit. A dip into free agency for a quarterback feels inevitable, with some dependence on who’s available (Dak Prescott?). If Roethlisberger joins the ranks of the available, Washington definitely can’t be ruled out as a possible suitor.
