Ben Roethlisberger wants to return for an 18th NFL season under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, and he's willing to restructure his contract in order to make that happen.
In fact, the 38-year-old quarterback is happy to take a massive pay cut in order to benefit the roster.
“I don't care bout my pay at all this year!,” Roethlisberger reportedly told The Athletic's Ed Bouchette.
Ben Roethlisberger just told me: "I don't care bout my pay at all this year!" And is willing to restructure a contract that has a $41 million cap hit for 2021 that includes $19 million in bonus and salary that can be restructured.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 28, 2021
As Bouchette notes in his tweet, Roethlisberger's contract carries a $41 million cap hit in 2021 and includes $19 million in bonus money that can be restructured.
The two-time Super Bowl winner signed a two-year, $68 million deal with Pittsburgh. He's set to earn a base salary of $4 million next season, in addition to a $15 million roster bonus, carrying a dead cap value of $22.25 million, according to Over the Cap.
Article Continues BelowAs it stands, the Steelers are projected to be about $29 million over the cap entering the spring.
After missing nearly the entire 2019 season due to an elbow injury, Roethlisberger started 15 games for the Steelers in 2020, plus one playoff game. While his play produced mixed results, he helped lead the Steelers to an 11-0 start and 13-3 overall record.
The Steelers were 11-3 with Big Ben starting at QB. The veteran tossed 33 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, completed 65.6 percent of his passes for a QB rating of 94.1. He struggled in the team's 48-37 AFC Wild Card Game loss to division rival Cleveland Browns, though he put up a video-game stat line of 501 yards on 47 of 68 passing with four touchdowns and four picks.
Pittsburgh signed former Washington Football Team passer and 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins to a one-year deal earlier this offseason. The Steelers also have quarterback Mason Rudolph under contract through the 2021 season.