Following the Pittsburgh Steelers' disheartening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round on Sunday afternoon, a lot of attention has shifted toward Ben Roethlisberger's future with the team.
According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 35-year-old indicated to his teammates that he plans on playing at least three more seasons.
Since Roethlisberger has told teammates his plans to play at least another three years, management must know too, and that would have to come as a relief because they can now plan accordingly.
This comes less than a day after Roethlisberger told the media that he “definitely” wants to come back for the 2018 season. It will mark his 15th season in the league and will be the second to last year of his four-year, $87.4 million deal that runs through 2019.
Roethlisberger previously hinted at retirement before as he stated last year that he would take some time to contemplate returning for the 2017 campaign after the Steelers fell short in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. He waited until last April to officially announce that he would return for the 2017 season.
Big Ben is still playing at a high level after finishing fifth this season with 4,251 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, 10th with a 64.2 completion rate, and a 93.4 passer rating. This was his fifth season with more than 4,000 passing yards and seventh with more than 25 passing touchdowns. Roethlisberger also put that on display in the crushing divisional round loss to the Jaguars, completing 37-of-58 passes for 469 yards and five touchdown passes against a very tough Jacksonville secondary. In fact, he was the first player in league history to lose a playoff game despite throwing five touchdown passes.
With Roethlisberger back in the fold for the next few seasons, the Steelers' next huge task is negotiating a lucrative long-term contract with All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell, who is set to become a free agent this upcoming offseason.
Follow Us
Subscribe