Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, has won two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI |
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Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Thursday that he's "pretty sure" he wants to return to the team for the 2021 season and is willing to restructure his contract.
With the NFL's salary cap likely to decrease due to a drop in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roethlisberger's $41.2 million cap hit for next season presents a problem for the Steelers, a matter the veteran quarterback and team president and CEO Art Rooney II appear to agree on.
"I want to do everything I can and made that very clear to them from the very beginning that it was my idea to basically help the team however I can this year," Roethlisberger told The Athletic on Thursday.
"... I am pretty sure I want to go one more year [because] I think I can do it and give us a real chance [at] winning."
Roethlisberger also told The Athletic that he doesn't "care about my pay at all this year."
Earlier Thursday, Rooney told reporters the Steelers have left the door open for Roethlisberger to return, but it will depend on whether adjustments are made to his contract.
"I think we've been up front with Ben in letting him know that we couldn't have him back under the current contract," Rooney said. "I think he understands we have some work to do there. We'll have more conversations internally, and we'll have more conversations with Ben. We'll have to know what the cap number is to finalize some of those decisions."
Following the Steelers' wild-card loss to the division rival Cleveland Browns earlier this month, the 38-year-old Roethlisberger said he would speak with his family before making a decision on his future in the league. He noted that he hoped the organization would welcome him back if he decided to return in 2021.
"With Ben, we owe it to him to have a conversation about how he wants to end his career, and we intend to do that," Rooney said. "... I think we'd like to see Ben back for another year if that can work. But as we said, there's a lot of work to be done if that can happen. There may need to be decisions on both ends for that to happen."
As of now, the Steelers have three quarterbacks on their roster for the 2021 season: Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.
Roethlisberger, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, has won two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh. He led the league in passing yards twice (2014, 2018) and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004.
