The Pittsburgh Steelers have some offseason decisions to make regarding a few of their biggest stars. The biggest move the team must make is determining the worth of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The franchise star is entering the final year of his deal and is expected to sign a long-term extension. However, that deal could force out other stars on the team.
Roethlisberger is itching to get a deal done soon. The quarterback is coming off one of the best seasons of his career thanks to a solid supporting cast. Roethlisberger threw for 4,952 yards and 32 touchdowns while only putting up nine interceptions with a 67.1 completion percentage. Clearly the Steelers intend to keep the quarterback around for the long-term and team president Art Rooney told the media that he does not expect there to be any issues with getting something done.
"I will take that problem," Rooney said, via Trib-Live Sports. "I am not complaining about it. I would rather have that situation than the reverse." "I think it is fair to say the sooner the better. But I am not going to put any particular time frame on these things. It is kind of hard to predict how long it takes to get something done. But we certainly want to get something done this offseason. That's for sure."
Roethlisberger is currently an $18 million salary cap hit in the upcoming season off the contract he signed back in 2008. The question becomes how long the contract will be for considering the quarterback is 32 and how much he can earn off his current salary. The Steelers ideally want to keep Roethlisberger around a few more years with a Super Bowl in mind, but it is unclear what the quarterback is looking to accept since he is in the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL.
"When the time comes, I'm sure [my agents will] come in town here before too long, whenever they start getting ready to talk to the Rooney family and we'll sit down and we'll discuss all the different options and possibilities and so when that time comes, I don't think we'll leave any stone unturned," Roethlisberger said.
The question becomes who will be back with him. Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell excelled on offense this year, but will long-time franchise star Troy Polamalu get forced out? Rooney made no guarantees the eight-time Pro Bowler will be back with the team as he is coming off a season where he did not record a sack or interception for the first time since 2007. With two years left on his contract, there is a chance that Polamalu gets released while veterans like James Harrison and Ike Taylor remain an unknown.
"We'll be having conversations internally," Rooney said, via ESPN.com. "We'll have conversations with each of those players and others about what they want to do and whether they'll fit into the plans for next year. There's a lot of discussions to be had in terms of the next few weeks and months."