The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have agreed to a new three-year contract that will keep the quarterback with the team through the completion of his career. Roethlisberger will get $68 million over the final two seasons, with $37.5 million of that guaranteed.
The deal has been in the works for a number of weeks, but with the draft upcoming Thursday, the Steelers pushed to get the new contract completed. It was finalized on the 15-year anniversary of the Steelers selecting Roethlisberger in the first round of the 2004 draft.
Roethlisberger, who turned 37 in March, had one year remaining on his previous contract. He was scheduled to earn $12 million in base salary in 2019 with a salary cap hit of $23.2 million. With the new deal, which runs through 2021, his cap hit for 2019 should be between $22 and $25 million, depending on the wording and structure of some bonuses.
"I am grateful to the Rooneys and the Steelers organization for continuing to believe in me," Roethlisberger said in a statement released by the team. "It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh. This is home for me and my family, and we love this city. I am as excited to be a Steeler in year 16 as I was when they drafted me. They will get my absolute best."
Roethlisberger is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in passing yards for the second time in his career and set a career-high in touchdown passes with 34, but he also led the league with 16 interceptions.
He also has been at the center of a great deal of controversy this offseason after Antonio Brown accused him of having an "owner's mentality," in regard to other players for calling them out at times. Brown and Roethlisberger clashed late in the 2018 season and Brown demanded a trade in the offseason. The Steelers reacted strongly, backing their quarterback when some national pundits questioned his leadership.
"Ben is the unquestioned leader of this group," Kevin Colbert said prior to the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "He's the elder statesmen and the only Super Bowl winner (remaining on the roster). If our players were smart, they'd listen to him because he's been there, he's done it. He can tell them, 'No, guys, what you're doing is or is not good enough.' And I honestly believe that can be a burden on him more often than he may like to admit. He's got 52 kids under him, quite honestly. I want them to step up and say, 'Hey, Ben, what do I have to do? Can I do this better? What do we have to do to win a Super Bowl?'
"I think that once you win it, you've got 53 guys who can say what it took, but right now, he's the only one, so I have no problem with him. He can call me out, and that's fine."
Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to three Super Bowls, winning two. He currently ranks sixth on the league's all-time passing yards list with 56,194, just over 5,000 yards behind Dan Marino for fifth place.
Roethlisberger also ranks in the top 10 all-time for touchdown passes (363), and the Steelers are 144-69-1 in games he's started. He's also won 13 career playoff games, tying him with Brett Favre for fourth-most all-time.
DALE'S VIEW
This will be a win-win for both sides. The Steelers will get some cap relief from Roethlisberger's deal and Roethlisberger gets the security of knowing he can finish his career with the Steelers.
I can't see him playing past the age of 40, so this one should be it.
Can this team get back to a Super Bowl in his remaining three seasons? That remains to be seen.
