Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Could Enter The 2014 Season Without A New Contract

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out that the Steelers are known for not negotiating long-term contracts with players once the season is underway and there has been no reported progress between the team and QB Ben Roethlisberger. 

While there still is time for talks to pick up regarding an extension that would allow Roethlisberger to play out the remainder of his career in Pittsburgh, it appears as though the Steelers could wait until after the 2014 season to rekindle serious talks.

Roethlisberger, 32, still has two years remaining on his eight-year, $102 million contract that included $33.2 million guaranteed. He is set to earn $12.1 million for the upcoming season and another $11.6 million in 2015.

However, Roethlisberger will carry large cap figures of $18.895 million and $18.395 million during this time. A new deal would give the team the flexibility to lower some of these cap figures and it turn give them some extra space to lock up guys like Jason Worilds who will be unrestricted free agents in 2015. 

Roethlisberger has said that he would like to play “5-7 more years,” but the increasing salaries being handed out to quarterbacks who haven’t accomplished as much as Big Ben or are considerably older are likely to impact his asking price.

In 2013, Roethlisberger completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,261 yards, 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

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