Steelers, ‘Big Ben’ solidify their tie
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have reiterated repeatedly during an eventful offseason that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains the team’s unquestioned leader. Now they have handed him a new deal to prove it.
The Steelers and the twotime Super Bowl winner agreed to terms on a contract extension Wednesday that will keep Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh through the 2021 NFL season. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Roethlisberger — who had been set to enter the final year of a contract he signed in 2015 — figures to receive a significant pay bump over the $12 million he was due (with a $23 million cap hit) in 2019.
“It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger said in a released statement. “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.”
The deal gives Pittsburgh some stability after the high-drama departures of wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. Brown pouted his way into a trade with the Oakland Raiders last month, while Bell signed with the New York Jets as a free agent after sitting out all of the 2018 season as he opted not to sign his franchise tender.
Roethlisberger, who turned 37 last month, is coming off the finest statistical season of his 15-year NFL career. His 5,129 passing yards led the NFL and his 34 touchdown passes broke his own franchise mark. Yet his once-solid relationship with Brown appeared to deteriorate during a late slide that culminated in a 9-6-1 finish, a swoon that caused the Steelers to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Brown sat out a crucial Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and in the aftermath he lashed out on social media, blaming Roethlisberger for having an “owner mentality.”
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert went out of his way to defend the quarterback, saying that in a way, Roethlisberger was dealing with “52 kids” on the roster, a challenge for some of Roethlisberger’s teammates to take on a greater role in the locker room.
Not that Roethlisberger minds the responsibility. He has been unapologetic in his approach and unafraid to call out himself and others when the team fails to play to the standard it has set for itself during his largely successful tenure.
The announcement of the extension came on the 15th anniversary of the Steelers making Roethlisberger the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft.