It looks and sounds like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will indeed be back in 2021.
According to a Tuesday report by Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network, Roethlisberger’s agent Ryan Tollner is expecting his client to work out a contract agreement with the Steelers that will allow the quarterback to return for an 18th NFL season.
According to Kinkhabwala’s Tuesday Twitter report, Tollner says the Steelers have decided they want Roethlisberger back in 2021 and that the team will soon be contacting him to creatively work out details that would lower his salary cap charge. Tollner told Kinkhabwala that Roethlisberger is essentially still upset with how the 2020 season ended for the Steelers and that it doesn’t sit well with him.
“So the fire still burns strong and there is plenty of gas left in the tank,” Tollner told Kinkhabwala concerning Roethlisberger’s current mindset.
Roethlisberger is currently scheduled to earn $19 million in 2021, the final year of his contract, with $15 million of that being due to him in the form of a roster bonus a few days after the start of the new league year on March 17. Roethlisberger’s current cap charge of $41.25 million is expected to be lowered considerably in the coming weeks and likely via an extension that includes no new money this season.
A Tuesday afternoon report from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette indicated that the plan the Steelers have for Roethlisberger’s contract includes a two-year extension with all but $1.075 million of the $19 million he’s currently owed in 2021 being turned into a signing bonus and prorated over the three contract years.
If Dulac’s Tuesday report is correct, the Steelers would clear $11.95 million in 2021 salary cap space going that route.
