Steelers GM: Likely Big Ben’s Last Deal
This week, Ben Roethlisberger inked a lucrative new extension with the Steelers to take him through the 2021 season. This deal, GM Kevin Colbert says, will likely be his last (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com). 
This doesn’t come as a huge surprise – Roethlisberger celebrated his 37th birthday in March and the new pact will take him through his age-39 campaign. Roethlisberger has flirted with retirement a few times in the past, so it was never expected that he would plan for the Tom Brady route.
Even in his old age, Big Ben remains effective. He’s also healthier than he has been in the past. Roethlisberger started all 16 games last year, marking his first perfect attendance campaign since 2014.
This year, Big Ben will seek to prove that he can conquer both father time and the absence of star wide receiver Antonio Brown. There’s plenty of reason to believe that he can pull it off – he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt last season, even though the Steelers fell just shy of the playoffs.
Steelers Acquire No. 10 From Broncos
We have a trade! The Broncos have traded the No. 10 pick to the Steelers, reports Ross Tucker of The Athletic (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has used the pick to select Michigan linebacker Devin Bush.
In exchange for the 10th-overall pick, the Broncos acquired three draft selections. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the Steelers will send Denver No. 20, No. 52, and a 2020 third-rounder.
Bush will provide the Steelers with a talented three-down linebacker who they can immediately insert into their starting lineup. Bush has shown an ability to thrive in both man-to-man and zone coverage, and he also flashed some pass-rushing prowess during his tenure at Michigan. The 20-year-old followed up a breakout 2017 campaign with another impressive season in 2018. Bush ultimately finished the year having compiled 41 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
The Steelers currently have two former first-rounders, T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, slotted in as starting linebackers. Bush will likely occupy one of the two inside spots alongside either Vince Williams or free agent addition Mark Barron.
Despite the offseason addition of veteran Joe Flacco, there were whispers that the Broncos could end up selecting a quarterback with the 10th pick. The team could still end up taking a signal-caller at No. 20, where a number of prospects should still be available. Either way, the trade allows the team to add some much needed depth.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/25/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Ishmael Hyman
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed original round restricted free agent tender: OL Evan Boehm
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: TE Bucky Hodges
Devin Bush Out Of Steelers' Reach?
- The Steelers made calls about possibly trading up for a defender, but they may be resigned to the fact they will not be able to add one of their targets. They do not view Bush as an attainable player, per JLC (on Twitter). With the Broncos linked to Bush at 10, the Steelers would have to likely jump at least 11 draft slots to be in strong position to land the Michigan linebacker prospect.
Steelers Making Calls About Trading Up
One of the more traditional NFL franchises, in terms of offseason aggression, the Steelers appear to recognize the urgency their recent defensive struggles have created. They are making calls about a possible trade-up from their No. 20 spot, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Steelers boast big needs at cornerback and linebacker. It is believed the Steelers will be able to land a corner, perhaps the first corner to go in this draft, at 20. But if Pittsburgh wants to make a big move for a linebacker, it will likely need to acquire a top-10 pick. Devin White is viewed at this point as a top-10 lock, and the Broncos have been the team most connected to Devin Bush at No. 10.
Contract Details: Roethlisberger, Hageman
A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:
- Ben Roethlisberger, QB (Steelers): Three years. $80MM, $67.5MM guaranteed. Effectively two-year, $68MM extension. $37.5MM signing bonus, $30MM injury guarantee. $2.5MM base in 2019, $21MM salary + bonuses in 2020, $19MM in 2021. Steelers have an out after two years. Twitter links via ESPN’s Adam Schefter and CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.
- Ra’Shede Hageman, DT (Falcons): One year. $735K, $15K signing bonus. Details via D. Orlando Ledbetter of AJC.com.
Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger Agree To Extension
The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The new pact will keep Big Ben in place through the 2021 season. 
Once finalized, the deal will pay well north of $30MM per year for 2020-21, placing him in the top-three highest paid quarterbacks for those two years, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). In total, he gets a $63MM base value on his two new years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Prior to the new deal, 2019 was set to be the walk year for Big Ben. Now, he has a contract that should take him through the end of his career.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season.
Big Ben started all 16 games last year, the first time he had done that since the 2014 season. The Steelers had a down season as a team and didn’t make the playoffs, but Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards. On the flip side, he also led the league with 16 interceptions.
Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, was not a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger was set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season. The extension should lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room heading into the draft and the later stages of free agency.
Extension Looming For Steelers CB Joe Haden?
The Steelers may be nearing a massive extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and as Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes, a re-up for cornerback Joe Haden may not be too far behind.
In a piece that explores whether the Steelers should spend their first-round pick on a cornerback, Kaboly says that an extension for Haden is “looming.” After a long run with the division-rival Browns, Haden is entering the last year of the three-year pact he inked with Pittsburgh in August 2017. He is owed $10MM for the 2019 campaign, and although he is now 30, his two-year stint in Pittsburgh has gone about as well as could be expected. And, given Pittsburgh’s struggles in acquiring/drafting quality cornerbacks, it makes sense that the club would want to extend its relationship with Haden.
Haden has started every game that he has played in with the Steelers, and he has reestablished himself as a shutdown cover corner despite drawing the No. 1 WR on opposing offenses. This year, he will be joined by former Chiefs CB Steven Nelson, who signed a lucrative free agent deal with Pittsburgh in March.
The team is still high on youngsters like Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton, but keeping Haden on board for at least the next couple of seasons may be one of the Steelers’ priorities over the coming months.
Steelers Want To Extend Ben Roethlisberger Before Draft
The Steelers are working hard to extend quarterback Ben Roethlisberger prior to the draft on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Big Ben has one year left on his current deal, but the club wants to keep him “well beyond” the 2019 season. And, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter), contract talks are moving in the right direction.
We recently heard that Roethlisberger was not necessarily pushing for a new contract, but that discussions between player and team were ongoing. The two sides have been discussing a re-up at least since January, and given that Roethlisberger could earn upwards of $60MM in the 2020-21 campaigns if the team used the franchise tag on him, that figure could be a primary benchmark in negotiations.
Whether Roethlisberger is a good teammate or not has been a hot topic of late, but his on-field production continues to be top-notch, as he set career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34) this past season. Advanced metrics lauded Roethlisberger’s work as well, as he finished fourth in Total QBR and eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger ranked fifth in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, which measures value over a replacement level player, and eighth in DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis. His status in the locker room, whatever it might be, does not figure to be a factor in contract talks.
The Steelers, of course, narrowly missed the playoffs in 2018 despite Big Ben’s impressive statistics, and the team is now without Antonio Brown. But Pittsburgh has never had a losing season with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and despite the trade of Brown, the club should once again compete for the AFC North crown.
Roethlisberger is set to carry a cap charge of $23.2MM this season, and an extension would lower that figure and give the Steelers a little more breathing room.
Steelers Eyeing Rock Ya-Sin?
- While defensive line and linebacker prospects figure to populate the ESPN ticker early in Thursday night’s draft, secondary pieces may not come off the board until the second part of the opening round. One of the teams in need of cornerback help may have a preference. Mike Tomlin “loves” Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin, King writes. The Steelers have a linebacker need too but did sign Mark Barron to pair with Vince Williams. Their 2016 first-round investment of Artie Burns has not paid off, so Pittsburgh’s No. 20 spot may well be a cornerback destination. Ya-Sin, who played at Presbyterian (S.C.) prior to playing one season at Temple, visited the Steelers this month.