Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to come to terms on the quarterback's long-awaited contract ahead of Thursday's first round of the NFL Draft. And NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the deal is nearing completion.

Roethlisberger is currently in the final year of his four-year, $84 million contract that included $34,250,000 in guaranteed money. Big Ben's projected contract extension, according to Spotrac.com, is a two-year $49,837,280 deal.

Big Ben has stated on multiple occasions that he can see himself playing well into the next decade. The Steelers, in efforts to keep Roethlisberger's offensive line in-tact, gave Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey a contract extension last month. They also re-signed guard Ramon Foster to a two-year deal.

Roethlisberger, 37, enjoyed the greatest statistical season of his career in 2018. In 16 games, Big Ben completed 67 percent of his passes for a league-best (and franchise record) 5,129 yards. He also set a franchise record by throwing 34 touchdown passes against 16 interceptions. He did all of this while working under first-year offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Justin Fields surrounded by piles of cash.

Nihad Zunic ·

Such a deal developing would give the Steelers a clearer idea of where they stand in terms of salary cap space going into, and coming out of, the draft. Though draft pick contracts are fairly tight templates with only signing bonuses set to count against the cap, the volume of picks (10) and the possibility of undrafted free agent signings can nip at the NFL-imposed bottom line.

As of Tuesday, the Steelers were $6,201,131 under the cap. Only the top 51 cap hits count against teams until final cuts. And while extensions can serve as a cap-saving maneuver, Roethlisberger’s deal may not loosen purse strings all that much.