The Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have started contract talks this offseason and heading into 2015 the team could sign him to a new extension and this comes as players like Ben Tate, Jason Worilds, James Harrison, Will Allen, Ike Taylor and Darrius Heyward-Bey are hitting free agency.
Roethlisberger is in no danger of leaving Pittsburgh, but he is entering the final season of an eight-year, $102 million contract and the Steelers likely want to lock him up. According to ESPN.com, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert spoke about the ongoing talks with Roethlisberger, saying that he was "confident" that the team would get a deal done. Roethlisberger is going to be 33 when the season starts and he previously signed his other deal back in 2008.
Roethlisberger has been extremely successful in the NFL, winning two Super Bowl championships and making it to a third game. Roethlisberger has continued to put up strong numbers and he has passed for over 4200 yards in each of the past two seasons. Roethlisberger passed for 32 touchdowns last season and had set career highs with 4952 yards, 408 completions and a 67 percent completion percentage. Roethlisberger has been steady for the Steelers since taking over and he hasn't missed a game in two years.
The Steelers offense has some elite talent around Roethlisberger, as he has Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, along with young players like Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton. One reason the team could be looking to make the deal with Roethlisberger is to lower his cap number of $18.395 million for the 2015 season. Roethlisberger could end up with a deal that pays him about $20 million per season in base salary according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
According to ESPN.com, the Steelers are about three million under the cap heading into the 2015 offseason. The team has some significant names hitting free agency, with Jason Worilds, James Harrison, Arthur Moats, Ike Taylor, Will Allen, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Matt Spaeth and Ben Tate ae unrestricted free agents.