Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers said they were hoping to get an extension done with Ben Roethlisberger before the draft and according to Ian Rapoport they hit their deadline. According to Rapoport Roethlisberger agreed on a two-year extension with the Steelers. Roethlisberger was heading into the final year of his deal so this keeps him in Pittsburgh for three more seasons.
The #Steelers have finalized a 2-year extension for QB Ben Roethlisberger, sources say. He now has 3 years total on his deal and Pittsburgh beats their deadline of the draft.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 24, 2019
The Steelers didn't have a ton of cap space to sign their free agents so this deal will probably lower his salary this year, and give the team some salary relief. This deal also makes sure it's not a talking point heading into offseason workouts, training camp, and the season. Now Roethlisberger and the Steelers can just focus on getting ready for the upcoming season.
The biggest news with this deal is that this should secure him through the end of his career in the Black and Yellow. Roethlisberger was drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Miami of Ohio by the Steelers and has been with the franchise since.
It really wasn't much of a secret that the Steelers wanted to keep him around all the way back in January team president Art Rooney II was already talking about getting a deal done.
“We've already started talking to him and his representative about extending that contract,” Rooney said via CBS Sports. “I think Ben has some good years left. I'd still say he's close to being in the prime of his career. Now that we're seeing quarterbacks around the league that are playing into their 40s, I'm not sure there's any reason that Ben can't play for several more years. We're looking forward to that.”
Look for the team to officially announce the extension later today.
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