The entirety of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 season rides on the surgically-repaired elbow of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. His value to the Steelers is immeasurable and the entire season comes and goes with how he plays.
But this isn’t what NFL writer Gregg Rosenthal was getting at when he made his list of the top 35 quarterbacks in the NFL based on value. For Rosenthal, contract, as well as age, figured into the equation, which can’t work for Roethlisberger. He has Big Ben at No. 18 and here’s what he said about it.
Only my undying faith in Big Ben as a big difference-maker keeps him this high, seeing how he’s a 38-year-old passer coming off major elbow surgery. An onerous contract — he has a $41.3 million cap hit due next year! — doesn’t help either in this exercise. (Which is something, incidentally, that Roethlisberger insists he’s still doing.)
No doubt Rosenthal is giving Roethlisberger the benefit of the doubt. When he’s as his best his age and massive salary-cap hit are less important but you can’t discount either one right now.
