We heard recently that the Steelers were hoping to extend Ben Roethlisberger soon, and now we have confirmation of that. Steelers owner Art Rooney recently confirmed the team intended to get a new deal done for Big Ben soon, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “That’s certainly something that is on the agenda for this offseason,” Rooney said. Florio then dove into what a potential new contract for Roethlisberger, who has one year left on his current deal, would look like. Florio thinks Roethlisberger and his reps will demand “at least $28 million per year”, and points out that his current deal only paid him an average of $21.85 MM per year, far below market value. He also writes that Roethlisberger could choose to just play it year to year and make the Steelers franchise tag him for the next couple of seasons if they’re unwilling to meet his demands.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of quarterback extensions, Dak Prescott will need one soon as well. 2019 will be the last year of his rookie contract, and what kind of extension the Cowboys offer him will be one of the more interesting contract developments this offseason. Former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry took a look at all of Dallas’ options, and came to the conclusion that inking Prescott to a new deal “may be a lot easier said than done.” He writes that the Cowboys may be reluctant to offer Prescott top of the quarterback market money because it would preclude them from extending other young players, but that Prescott’s agent Todd France has “a reputation for driving a hard bargain in negotiations”, and will be unlikely to back down. It’ll be fascinating to see how this one plays out, and whether Prescott ends up getting top quarterback money or has to settle for something in the lower $20MM’s.
- Another quarterback to monitor this offseason is Nick Foles. It’s been made clear that Foles won’t be back in Philadelphia next season, but it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be traded or able to pick his own destination in free agency. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer broke down all the scenarios for this spring, and included some telling quotes from Foles. The Eagles can exercise an option to keep Foles under contract for next year, which Foles could then void if he pays the team back $2MM, “essentially buying free agency” as Berman points out. Foles recently said “having the option to be a free agent is extremely important” indicating he would much prefer to choose his own landing spot rather than be dealt somewhere. But even if he does pay the voiding fee, the Eagles could still franchise tag him and then attempt to trade him. We should know a lot more by the start of free agency.
- In case you missed it, the Chargers plan on extending Philip Rivers this offseason.
Steelers are gonna make a huge mistake extending Big Ben, he’s a drama queen and is constantly contemplating retirement, he’s not as good as he once was. I’d take Wilson, Goff, Jimmy G, Rodgers, Trubisky, Newton, Ryan, Brees, Wentz, Foles, Manning, Mahomes, Rivers, Mayfield, Watson, Luck, Brady before him. At this point in his career he’s nothing without AB and next season will prove it
You’d take Eli Manning over him? Yikes you have to be kidding.
Haha maybe once the Giants cut Manning and then you could grab him at the minimum….that would be the only way to take Eli over Ben (assuming Ben is at 25+)
Sure Ben is the better player but Eli is the better leader. If it’s a playoff game I’m taking Eli 100%
Problem is Manning has trouble getting his teams to the playoffs.
Eli quietly had one of the best years of his career.
And you would be completely out of your friggin mind!!
Ability wise, he’s still Top 8. I agree with the drama queen, terrible leader aspect. With those traits, they won’t win the BIG game with him as they’re leader. Keep in mind, HE hasn’t won since leaders Polamalu/Ward/Farrier left.
I could see Chunky Soup paying Duk 20M for those awesome commercials, but as a QB he’s not worth 10M. If Dallas gives him that kind of money it will eventually kill their roster. Duk doesn’t make his teammates better like a Brees, Brady or Rodgers, and I’m tried of the argument that guys like Dalton, Bortles and Tannehill are paid big money. It’s not money well spent.
So, you just compared Dak to 3 future hall of famers when it comes to making players better. Pretty HIGH bar. Someone had to make Cooper better than he was doing in Oakland this. Of Keenum/Cousins/Stafford are worth 20+ and can’t make the playoffs, then why isn’t Dak worth that much?
That’s a valid point. I don’t think Dak is much better than Derek Carr. I would like to see a season with Carr on the Cowboys with Zek and Cooper and see the difference. Of course we will never see that. Now, being that Carr is grossly over paid IMO compared to his production , then sure Dak should be extended as well. Got to love his heart and commitment.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because one guy is overpaid doesn’t mean you should overpay another guy. Instead you should look to correct the market and pay the guy what he’s worth. Which is less than what Carr and others are making. To clarify, Carr shouldn’t be making as much as he is either. It’s a mistake that shouldn’t be repeated
Duk isn’t worth 20M, neither are Keenum, Stafford or Cousins. Stafford’s contract is killing Detroit if you haven’t noticed, and if Duk gets something similar the same thing will happen to Dallas roster in 3-4 years, and by the way I will NEVER compare Duk to Brees, Brady or Rodgers (except for maybe acting ability). Oh and one more thing how did Duk make Cooper any better? Wasn’t he an established All Pro level WR when Jerrah ponied up next years first rounder for him. I could argue Cooper had to really good regular season games for Dallas last year and the other 5 or 6 he was just another guy. I could also make a very strong argument that Duk made Dez expendable (his contract didn’t help matters). Bottom line is as an NFL franchise you can only break the bank for ELITE QB talent. Everyone else is a bad contract i.e. Bortles, Tannehill, Dalton, Manning, Stafford, Keenum, Cousins and a few others we can debate.
TSolid, I believe the point he’s making is that Keenum, Cousins, and Stafford aren’t worth the money the are making. And that’s true. They were all overpaid because those teams hoped they would preform better than they are. I don’t think any of those teams would give those three that money again if they could redo it now. So point is why would you make the same d*mn mistake with Dak unless he can prove that he can get consistently better
Amen to the Dalton comment. I agree with you except on Aaron Rodgers. I don’t view him as a good teammate or leader. I think he shows his teammates up too much. But I don’t really know what goes on in the locker room tho. Just my view from afar.
Simply put, Dak just wins games. You’re crazy if you don’t think he’s an above average QB.
How many games did Duk “just win” without Zeke last season? Zeke and the defense win games. Duk’s job is not to turn it over. Did you watch the game last weekend? What happened when LA focused on stopping Zeke? Did Duk put the team on his back?
Were you expecting Dallas to beat the rams at home? Obviously your hate for Dak keeps you from being objective. A week before he lead his team to a game winning victory. Again… if ALL of those other mediocre QB’s are getting 20+ mil, then Dak should get paid also. Btw… I hate the Cowboys
No, you have to buc the trend. Don’t overpay a guy just because others have been overpaid. Correct the market and stop making mistakes
They did buck the trend. They drafted Dak in the fourth round. Now if they drastically lowball a quality QB like Dak in free agency, they won’t be bucking the trend. They’ll be
They’ll be bucking the trend of winning seasons.
You just named every other QB in the league.
He may be passed his prime but Big Ben now is better than Trubs Newton and Ryan.
Great. Let’s be GMs and trade Manning for Roethlisberger right now.
I don’t care for him or AB. Or LB for that matter. That’s mostly because I don’t like Steelers. But I do think they all complimented each other well. I think they all will have some drop off in production without each other. Some more than others. They had the mojo working together for sure.
Are you Matt Millen?
Eli isn’t even a starting caliber qb Big Ben is
So Ben wants $28 million a year after having a season where he threw 16 interceptions? LOL!
I can’t stand Ben, but he threw for over 5000 yards and 34/16. Very good numbers. With that said, I hope they give him a big multi-year contact and he tanks without the best RB and WR tandem in the game (possibly ever).
They were a great tandem. Your probably right as far as active. That would be a tough call as far as ever. Barry Sanders and Herman Moore. Faulk, Holt and Bruce. Emmitt Smith and Micheal Irvin…. it’s definitely in the conversation, as you said possibly.
So they should’ve spent all the money on bell when their defense is as bad as it is?
Let Dak walk and sign Foles. Dak can be back up his walk year
Great call
Ben is so disrespected. Listen to some press conferences and you’ll see him credit everyone else. He’s constantly calling brown the “best in the business”. He’s constantly saying the team goes as far as the offensive line goes. He challenges younger wide outs to get better. He shows his trust in them. Is he a great leader, idk. But I’m not in the locker room with the team. The entire AB situation is speculation as to what happened. I’m guessing multiple parties should’ve handled it better. From a play standpoint, he’s top 10 in the game easily. Possibly top 5. It’s a qb driven league. He’s not a perfect qb, but he’s a hall of famer and should be respected as one. I’ll for sure miss him when he retires.
TERRIBLE leader… throwing coaches/players under the bus. I don’t know what interviews you listen to, but you can “give credit” and still throw your teammates/coaches under the bus. Question…. have there ever been conversations of Brady/Brees/Rivers/Eli/Peyton Manning publicly questioning/criticizing other teammates? Do you think people just single out Ben for no reason? No question he is a Hall of Famer, but it doesn’t mean he’s a good leader. Why hasn’t he lead them to a Super Bowl in 10 yrs? Had some pretty good talent around him.
Why are you so attaching? Any ways, do you think Brady and rivers don’t blast their teammates on the field? Brady is known for that. It’s clear when watching the game. Every qb has different ways to motivate their team. I don’t think challenging younger guys to do better, or questioning a play call in a press conference makes you the worst leader ever. Is he the greatest? No but he’s not as bad as the media makes it. I didn’t like the brown route critique vs the broncos, since it was a bad read, but there’s a reason pouncey said when Ben retires, he’s retiring too. And as to why the losses? Defense vs the jaguars was terrible. The offense put up 40+ vs the best d in the league. Banged up vs patriots isn’t an easy win, lost to Peyton manning. It’s the playoffs man, you’re not winning every year. When’s the last time Brees won? Rivers? They’ve had talent. Could be this year for Brees, but I don’t think Super Bowls is that related to leadership
Do you NOT understand the difference between IN GAME in the heat of the moment, face to face discussions, as opposed to deliberately sitting in front of a microphone and blasting teammates/coaches?? If you don’t see the difference, then no need to discuss it.
I see the difference. I’m saying it’s the way he handles correcting play on the field. Brady rips into his teammates and throws a tantrum. Ben won’t do that on the field, but may call them out in the media to step up. I don’t think it’s the best way to do it, but I think it can be effective. Martavis Bryant bounced back pretty well after called out. James Washington was given credit by Ben in an interview the game after Ben called him out. And you act like he’s just sitting there bashing the team the entire time, which is anything but the case. And did I ever say he was an amazing leader like your acting like I am?
At least Brady gets it out of his system and leaves it on the field, it it carries on after the game there’s never any word of it outside of the clubhouse. I’m not saying that Ben does it all the time, but I’m saying, for athletes, even once is enough. Guys like Brady ALWAYS except responsibility for whatever goes wrong n defeat. That’s when it’s ok to be an “I” guy. Ben doesn’t have that quality to take ALL the blame even when it’s not his fault.
And a rapist to boot.
Big Ben, how about you play for the same rate (or less) and let your team get some help. Don’t you want to be in the playoffs?
Take a pay cut after the owner has rid the team of the two best offensive weapons and made your job that much harder? Ben has suffered a few concussions but he isn’t that dumb. Rooney is going to make Tomlin and Ben the fall guys so they should grab every dime they can get.
big ben’s raped more women than won Super Bowls, yes clearly 21M he was underpaid
You should have been a defense lawyer for Bill Cosby…
“Your honor, my client was only raping women so he could one day win a Super Bowl”.