Steelers, Ben talking new contract
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting a head start on their biggest offseason project.
General manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday negotiations have begun with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a contract extension that would keep the two-time Super Bowl winner in black-and-gold for the rest of his career.
Roethlisberger, who turns 33 next month, is entering the final season of an eight-year deal he signed in 2008. He tied with Drew Brees for the most yards passing in 2014, breaking his own team record by throwing for 4,952 yards to go with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Even though Roethlisberger heads into his 12th season next fall, Colbert believes Roethlisberger can remain among the NFL’s elite at his position for the better part of the next decade, pointing to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as proof that quarterbacks can be effective even as 40 draws near.
“I really think Ben is going to be a better quarterback down the road than he has been to this point and I think that’s his goal too,” Colbert said.
While Colbert said the team is in no hurry to get a new contract done before the new league year begins on March 10, he doesn’t foresee any major obstacles.
“There is no timetable on it,” Colbert said. “It could happen quick. It could take a little while. When you’ve got two parties that are real interested in having the same goal achieved, it usually goes quicker than not.”
Even if in some ways Roethlisberger has been patiently waiting to get something done. The Steelers have typically tried to lock down their starting quarterback with two years to go on their current deals, a process that dates back to Tommy Maddox and Kordell Stewart. They opted push back extension talks last summer, and while the move will almost certainly force the Steelers to go a little bit deeper into their pockets, the good news is there is apparently room to do it.
Colbert categorized Pittsburgh’s salary cap status as “manageable” following several difficult offseasons in which the team had to cut expensive longtime contributors like Hines Ward, James Farrior and James Harrison, though Harrison made an unlikely return to Pittsburgh in 2014 and finished with 5 1-2 sacks in 11 games.
While Colbert isn’t quite sure what the salary cap number will be, there does appear to be a bit of wiggle room.
