During what was otherwise a rah-rah season wrap-up interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Steelers president Art Rooney II dropped a minor bombshell Wednesday about the future of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger has two years left on his contract, and Rooney was asked about the status of Roethlisberger's extension beyond 2015.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows "our intention is we want him here beyond this contact," Rooney told the newspaper, but an extension might not come this year or even next year.
The Post-Gazette added that the Steelers routinely extend the contract of their starting quarterback when it has two years remaining, as Roethlisberger's does now. Rooney told the newspaper that the routine does not equate to a team policy, extending the quarterback's contract with two years left is "not set in stone . . . it's not something that's automatic."
Sport-Kings.com reported that the Steelers will take cap hits of $18.895 million and $18.395 million for Roethlisberger during the final two years of his current contract. That could play a big factor in the Steelers' decision whether to retain Big Ben.
Roethlisberger guided the Steelers to an 8-8 record in 2013, his second worst performance in Pittsburgh. He won just seven of 15 starts during the 2006 season. The rest of his statistics were about average with his career totals.
Rooney told the Post-Gazette that one of the reasons for his optimism for the team in 2014 was Roethlisberger's improved play during the second half of 2013, especially in regards to sacks. Roethlisberger was on pace to suffer 70 sacks this season through the first eight games, but had only seven sacks the last eight, according to the Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger will enter his 11th season in the NFL in 2014 and turns 32 in March. Is Rooney taking a wait-and-see approach with his quarterback before he commits one way or the other?
ESPN.com reported him as saying, "We've got to have Ben retire as a Steeler," Rooney said Wednesday. "There's no doubt about that."
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