The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first 11 games of the 2020 season, but struggled down the stretch and eventually made an early exit from the NFL playoffs in the first round after winning the AFC North.
Heading into the offseason, the biggest question facing the Steelers is the future of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who will turn 39 in March.
Though he’s talked about retirement in previous years, if Roethlisberger wants to return to the Steelers for the 2021 season, would the team welcome him with open arms, or would they prefer to go in a new direction?
It looks like we’re about to find out:
#Steelers GM Kevin Colbert says that in meetings w/ him, owner Art Rooney and coach Mike Tomlin, QB Ben Roethlisberger “reiterated… he wants to continue to play… We told him quite frankly, we have to look at this situation.”
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) February 17, 2021
If there’s a stalemate here, it could be a tough situation for the Steelers. According to Spotrac, Roethlisberger carries a cap number north of $41 million for the 2021 season, but cutting him would cost the team more than $22 million in dead cap space.
The Steelers have proven in the past that they’re willing to eat some significant dead cap money to move on from a player, but they also have to consider their potential options to replace Roethlisberger. That much dead money for a player who isn’t on the roster would make it even less likely that the Steelers could afford to pursue a quality veteran starter via trade.
That leaves the 2021 NFL draft, where the Steelers are currently slated to pick 24th overall in the first round. That’s not a great spot to land a top quarterback prospect, with as many as five passers expected to be off the board by that point in the draft.
If Alabama’s Mac Jones happens to slip to them, he could be an option. But that spot is way too early for the likes of Florida’s Kyle Trask and the rest of this year’s quarterback class, so the Steelers might be forced to make a big move up the board if they want to land a quality quarterback prospect.
No matter what happens, the Steelers are facing something no NFL team wants to deal with: Big questions at the game’s most important position.
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