PITTSBURGH — After weeks of cautious answers regarding the future of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers president Art Rooney II said Wednesday morning he would like to have Roethlisberger back for the 2021 season.
Rooney released a statement that confirmed what Ryan Tollner, Roethlisberger’s agent, told the Post-Gazette Tuesday evening.
“Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting. We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go,” the statement read. “Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that we would like to have him back to help us win a championship. We both understand that the next step is to work out Ben's contract situation.”
The decision was the first domino in the Steelers’ offseason that had to fall. Next up for Steelers brass: Figure out a way to build a contender around Roethlisberger on a tight budget.
Details of the Roethlisberger contract restructuring have yet to be worked out, but the Steelers can likely get Roethlisberger’s cap hit for the 2021 season down to around $26-27 million. That would get them into compliance with the cap, which is expected to be somewhere between $180-190 million next season.
There are a number of ways to make that happen, but the most likely scenario remains Roethlisberger getting all the money he is owed and the team merely pushing off the cap hit into future years with voidable years on the back end of the deal.
The language Tollner used Tuesday does not suggest Roethlisberger is anxious to accept a pay cut. Tollner told the Post-Gazette “we are open” to reworking the contract, and he told NFL Network they are “happy to creatively adjust his contract.”
The Steelers likely will work out the contract before the new league year begins March 17. Roethlisberger is owed a $15 million roster bonus on March 19, which will be part of the money reshuffling.
For the Steelers, getting into compliance was a necessary evil, but it wasn’t the end goal. The idea behind bringing Roethlisberger back is to create enough cap space to build a winning team around him. That could entail any number of moves in the coming weeks, including signing one or two of their impending free agents as well as picking up a starting center and perhaps a tight end in free agency.
Then comes the draft, which takes on more significance this year because it’s not expected the Steelers will be able to come close to addressing all of their needs in free agency due to the constrained cap.
“We knew it would be a challenging class that we would have to deal with moving into a normal cap situation,” general manager Kevin Colbert said last week. “We are anticipating it not to be a normal cap situation.”
In order to build his roster, Colbert will be tasked with additional restructures, releases and/or contract extensions among select veteran players. Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration, will figure out a way to free up the money.
For Colbert, the roster’s needs are now more defined as free agency approaches, and the team’s biggest, immediate needs are on offense.
He needs to find a starting center to replace Maurkice Pouncey. He also is likely draft or acquire acquire a tackle with Alejandro Villanueva, Zach Banner and Matt Feiler set to become free agents.
Colbert called the offensive line an “uncertain group” when he spoke with reporters last week, but there 16 other players that are about to hit unrestricted free agency, including some other more high-profile players who have been integral members of the offense in recent years.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had a team-high 97 catches last season, and leading rusher James Conner are two of those impending free agents. Those positions could be targeted in the draft, as well.
Other uncertain positions on the team will have to be addressed, too. On defense, outside linebacker Bud Dupree as well as cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Mike Hilton have expiring contracts.
So who comes back?
Dupree and Smith-Schuster aren’t likely to return because they’ll get big offers on the open market, although Smith-Schuster continues to say he would like to come back.
The most likely outcome will be the Steelers trying to lock a couple of their players who won’t break the bank in free agency. Sutton or Hilton certainly are possibilities.
Banner, who is coming off season-ending knee surgery, has indicated he would like to return even if it’s only on a one-year deal. That could ease some of the concerns on the offensive line, though such a move would not preclude Colbert from seeking another tackle in the draft and likely in the early rounds.
The Steelers also could use an early-round pick on a running back to replace James Conner. Depth isn’t the issue for the Steelers at running back, but finding a quality starter to excel in Matt Canada’s offense is, which is why the Steelers could be interested in Najee Harris or Travis Etienne, the two top running backs in the draft who likely will be first-round selections.
The Steelers are well-stocked at receiver, but they’ll need to add depth to that position if Smith-Schuster leaves. Perhaps a mid-round pick or a veteran free agent is brought in to play alongside Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and James Washington.
The only experienced tight end on the roster is Eric Ebron, who is a one-dimensional player who offers little value in the running game, an area the Steelers are intent on improving this offseason. Drafting or signing a solid blocking tight end is a priority, as well.
At the very least, Colbert has clarity on his roster. But the real business of building the 2021 Steelers lies ahead.
