One significant piece of business for the Pittsburgh Steelers to work on between now and the start of the NFL league year is the contract and future of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. So goes Big Ben, so goes the team.
But the question is, what does Roethlisberger owe the team if anything and what does the franchise owe him? First, let’s talk about Roethlisberger. Over the course of his career, the Steelers have paid out over $250 million in salary. Enough money to take care of his family for generations. But Roethlisberger didn’t force them to pay him a penny of that.
Having said that, does Roethlisberger have the responsibility to the team that has paid him all this money and stood by him to take a massive pay cut this year or retire? NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala says no.
An NFL player does not retire b/c he “owes” a team in an untenable cap situation he didn’t create. He retires b/c his legs can’t move the way they need to. B/c his heart isn’t into practicing or prepping. B/c his family wants him to, or b/c his team tells him it’s moving on.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) February 17, 2021
I’m not sure I agree with this sentiment. It really chucks the concept of loyalty out the window. If Roethlisberger returns in 2021 without re-working his contract, and plays at the level he did in 2020, he is only hurting the franchise. Wouldn’t that be considered selfish? We hear all the time about greedy owners but it works both ways.
But I want to pass the question off to you. Should Roethlisberger feel any sense of responsibility to retire if he can’t get the team his all to help the Steelers begin their rebuild or is this just the fault of ownership and they have to live with it? Let us know in the comments.
