Ben Roethlisberger drops hopeful hint about his future with Steelers

Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger provided a hint about his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After a shocking elimination in the AFC Wild Card Round by the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers made some changes across their roster this offseason. But one thing that remained constant is at the quarterback position, as veteran Ben Roethlisberger is returning for the 2021 season on a restructured contract. But how many more seasons does Roethlisberger have in the tank?

In his latest MMQB column, Albert Breer asked Roethlisberger how much longer he wanted to play, and the answer he gave was rather insightful.

"While we’re with the Steelers, one thing I couldn’t fit into this morning’s column: I did ask Roethlisberger if he knows how much longer he wants to play. “I don’t,” he answered. “I always take it one year at a time. What’s most important, I want to give everything I have to this season, because this is the most important season I have.” This, for what it’s worth, is the final year of his contract."

Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger provides update on playing future

Steelers fans have to feel happy hearing how motivated Roethlisberger is heading into the 2021 season. Breer is right in regards to Roethlisberger’s contractual status, as the quarterback says this is the most important season of his career, because this is technically the last year he is under contract with the Steelers.

This offseason, Roethlisberger signed a new contract with the Steelers that will pay him $14 million for the 2021 season. However, the quarterback will be receiving the cash payment through 2022.

Roethlisberger is coming off a rollercoaster of a 2020 season, which was his return from a right elbow-injury that ended his 2019 campaign after two games. The Steelers, thanks to their dominant defense, started off 2020 with an 11-0 record. After losing to the Washington Football Team, the Steelers went into a downward spiral that led to their loss to the Browns in the playoffs.

Through 15 games, Roethlisberger completed 65.6-percent of his passes for 3,803 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Even with those numbers, Roethlisberger’s decline in arm velocity was evident, as he averaged a career-low 6.3 yards per attempt (not counting 2019).

Winning the AFC North will not be as easy for Roethlisberger and the Steelers as it used to be, considering the Browns are on the rise and the Baltimore Ravens are a consistently solid football team. However, we can never count out the Steelers, and Roethlisberger is hoping to lead them to a magical run to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season.

As for his future, Roethlisberger is going to take things a year at the time.