The Pittsburgh Steelers are already ramping up their preparations for next season after team owner Art Rooney concluded a meeting with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
In a statement posted by ESPN‘s Brooke Pryor, Rooney revealed that both sides expressed the same interest in making another run for a championship next season. The next priority on their list will be adjusting Roethlisberger's contract for 2021.
Full statement from Art Rooney II pic.twitter.com/mmw40G3Sgd
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 24, 2021
Roethlisberger underwhelmed under center after a promising start eventually turned into a disappointing campaign by the end of the regular season. The Steelers concluded their campaign with a 12-4 record but succumbed to division rival Cleveland Browns with a 48-37 loss in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
The 38-year-old gunslinger reportedly considered retiring after producing dismal outputs in several contests all throughout the season. His current contract also served as a hurdle for the Steelers' plans to bring him back next season. Roethlisberger is set to enter the final season of his two-year, $68 million contract signed back in 2020.
His current deal will incur a cap hit of $23.75 million for Pittsburgh next season. They will definitely have to tweak his contract as the Steelers will also have to retain their other key players who will become free agents in the upcoming offseason.
The list includes wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner, offensive tackles Alejandro Villanueva and Zach Banner along with the cornerback duo of Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton.
As it stands today, it seems like the Steelers still want to instate Ben Roethlisberger at the helm heading to the 18th season of his career. Here's to hoping they will finally get it right in the offseason for a bid to bounce back from a disappointing campaign in 2020.
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