the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger will meet during the upcoming week to discuss the quarterback's contract status and future with the team, According to ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
While the two sides annually huddle together following the season's conclusion, both the organization and Roethlisberger decided to postpone their meeting for several weeks after a disappointing end to their postseason run. While the play-caller is reportedly not ready to retire and plans to play during the 2021 campaign, the Steelers are looking to rework Roethlisberger's contract for the upcoming year.
Operating in what would be the final season of a two-year contract extension that he signed in April of 2019, Roethlisberger would carry a cap hit of over $41 million in 2021–easily the largest in the NFL. With Pittsburgh attempting to refurbish their roster to compensate for aging players and retain contributors such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers have made it clear that proceeding with the QB's current contract on the books is not an option.
Though Roethlisberger is said to be open to a renegotiation so long as it means an infusion of talent to the team, accomplishing a restructuring will be difficult. Since cutting the quarterback would result in a dead cap hit of almost $23 million, the Steelers' best option may be to convert most of his earnings into a signing bonus that could alleviate the burden on this season's salary cap while spreading the hit out over several years.
While this would mean that Pittsburgh is paying for Roethlisberger long after he has retired, it would allow them to compete in the near term.
For an organization to secure a final Super Bowl appearance with an aging quarterback, creativity is vital.
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