Big Ben confirms return to Steelers
Tomlin said a few days later that he and Roethlisberger had discussed his long-term future in other years.
Walking away from the game now wouldn’t have been simple for Roethlisberger. He signed a five-year, $99 million contract in March 2015 that included a $31 million signing bonus. If he had retired, the Steelers could have asked him to pay back a portion of the signing bonus in addition to forfeiting the final three years of the contract that is set to pay him $36 million in salary, $12 million each season through 2019.
For the past two months, little had been said about the retirement talk. The Steelers made it known they were proceeding with plans to have Roethlisberger, who recently turned 35, at the helm for the 2017 season.
“As an organization, we have been hopeful that Ben would return this year,” Tomlin told the Steelers website Friday. “Ben and I have had many conversations, and I understood at this point in his career he is going to have to think about his long-term future. There is no question Ben wants to win championships for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we know he will do everything possible to lead our entire team to achieving that goal.”
The Steelers came close to that goal in the 2016 season before they fell at New England, 36-17, in the AFC championship. With the likely return of receiver Martavis Bryant, the Steelers are expected to be among the contenders again in the AFC.
The Steelers have been scouting quarterbacks in advance of the NFL draft and had potential first-round pick Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech and potential midround pick Joshua Dobbs of Tennessee in for visits at UMPC Rooney Sports Complex earlier this week.
The Steelers are not expected to take a quarterback high in the draft, but they could draft one later to mold behind Roethlisberger and backup Landry Jones, who signed a two-year contract in March to remain in his current role.
NOTE — The Steelers played host Friday to Vanderbilt inside linebacker Zach Cunningham and Illinois outside linebacker Carroll Phillips. It was a busy first week of predraft visits for the Steelers, who met with 15 prospects. They are allowed to meet with 30 at their facility before the draft late this month.