The Pittsburgh Steelers signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a contract extension that will take him through 2021 on Tuesday, as Roethlisberger was entering the final year of his previous deal this coming season.
The veteran is grateful for the Steelers' decision to extend him and vows that he will give his all to the franchise.
“I am grateful to the Rooneys and the Steelers organization for continuing to believe in me,” Roethlisberger said in a statement, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “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 has not gone without turmoil over the last several months.
With Pittsburgh trading wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders and running back Le'Veon Bell departing for the New York Jets via free agency, Roethlisberger's leadership ability was called into question after both Brown and Bell criticized him.
While Brown certainly had his own issues and Bell's vitriol toward the Steelers organization seemed to stem from his contract standoff with the team that kept him sidelined for all of 2018, the criticisms were not taken lightly, as former Pittsburgh players also came out and corroborated Brown and Bell's accounts.
The 37-year-old may be one of the best players in Steelers history and is likely a future Hall-of-Famer, but he may need to work on some things as far as how he handles the locker room moving forward.
