The status quo will remain in the quarterfinals for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. Ryan Tollner, Ben Roethlisberger’s agent, confirmed Niti Network Aditi Kinkhabwala that the club does indeed want the quarterback as a starter for next season, and that the two parties are committed to reducing his cap to put a competitive club around him. Tollner added that Roethlisberger was not happy with the fact that Pittsburgh’s season ended in 2020, which lit a fire under the QB as he approached his 39-year season.
“They want Ben back and will contact me soon to address his cap situation,” Tollner told Kinkhabwala. “As we have shared since the end of the season, we are happy to creatively adapt his contract to help them build the best team possible.” A year ago, Ben was not sure if he would be able to throw again, but he fought back for 12 wins and the 8th division title in his career. They lost steam on the piece and it does not sit well for him, so the fire burns strongly and there is a lot of gas in the tank. ”
The news of Roethlisberger’s return to the Steelers for 2021 comes from the heels of a meeting the quarterback had with team president Art Rooney II, which reportedly went well. It looks like Roethlisberger’s future in Pittsburgh was on thin ice like last week when Kevin Colbert, Steelers’ GM, was pretty blunt about the veteran’s situation.
“As we sit here today, Ben is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert told reporters at the time. “He told us he wanted to keep playing. We told him we had to look at this current situation.”
Rooney also admitted to reporters that the club could not get him back under the current contract.
To prevent a possible divorce, Roethlisberger made it clear that he would ‘do everything I can’ to get creative with his contract to drop the number, which Tollner reiterated in this recent statement.
While Roethlisberger only has a base salary of $ 4 million and a grid bonus of $ 15 million for 2021, the biggest problem is his $ 41.25 million cap. Joel Corry, CBS Sports, outlined last month that the reason Pittsburgh have such a big hit for Roethlisberger next season is because of a maneuver they made last season. At that point, the club reduced its 2020 cap from $ 33.5 million to $ 23.75 million by converting $ 19.5 million of its $ 21 million compensation for the 2020 season into a sign-up bonus. As a result of the move, its 2021 cap number increased by $ 9.75 million. As Tollner noted, the two parties will soon go to work to bring the number to a more pleasant place for Pittsburgh, en route to an off-season where the salary cap will drop from 2020.
The 2021 season is the 18th year of Roethlisberger’s career. Similar to the previous 17, no. 18 in a Steelers uniform.