Ben Roethlisberger has agreed to a reported six-year, $102 million contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Reportedly, $36 million is guaranteed and would keep Roethlisberger with the Steelers a total of eight more years. Steeler fans are ecstatic about the arrangement keeping their Pro-Bowl caliber, Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the Steel City.
The timing of this agreement is no coincidence. Alan Faneca, the Pro Bowl left tackle, just signed a major contract with the New York Jets. It was rumored that Roethlisberger was waiting until the Steelers tried to sign Faneca before working out his deal.
In fact, Roethlisberger has said that he wanted Faneca to return to the Steelers this season, and some even speculated that he would re-work his deal in order that the Steelers might increase Faneca’s offer.
Today's Must Reads
Of course with Faneca now definitively a Jet, it was time for Roethlisberger and his agent to get this mega deal done.
The Steelers did not hold back in these negotiations, as they were accused of doing with Faneca. Roethlisberger is now one of the highest paid players in the NFL.
The Steelers historically find "diamonds in the rough," or players who are off the national radar, to take the place of players lost to free agency. One example was the loss of OL Joey Porter to the Dolphins, where the Steelers picked up the relatively unknown James Harrison, who has filled in well.
Also, when they found a little known rookie free agent named Willie Parker, well, we all know what he has done.
Now the Steelers must recover similarly from the loss of Faneca and protect Roethlisberger's blind side, or the Steelers will suffer through another season of multiple-sack games. This could ultimately shorten Roethlisberger's career.
For now, though, all is upbeat in the Steel City and around the country. Pittsburgh Steeler fans everywhere: Rejoice!
comments (5) write a comment »
write a new comment
6 months ago
GO STEELERS BROWNS SUCK GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 months ago
Good read.
Just a quick note -- Joey Porter is a LB, not an OL. No worries, I';m not bashing ya, just trying to help out.
Personally, I am not a big fan of Parker, and I tend to laugh when people try to fit him in the conversation as one of a elite backs in the league...but I can understand where people come from and get the idea -- hey, what makes this so great is that no two people think the same about sports.
Otherwise, this is a good move by the Steelers. Not that there was any doubt that Ben would stay in Pittsburgh, but the deal as it stands now will lock him up through his prime in the league, and after that the situation can be re-assessed. It's a large pay-day, but quarterbacks are always essential for an NFL club, look at how well you can do with a solid QB, or how poorly you can do without one no matter how talented the rest of the team is.
6 months ago
It's an economic friendly deal from my understanding, so really couldn't be happy about it.
6 months ago
Is it just me or is Roethlisberger under-rated? When you hear about elite quarterbacks in the NFL, it's always Manning, Brady, Favre, Romo (no particular order). Don't get me wrong, they're all great, but it seems like Big Ben is never really mentioned.
6 months ago
Hi Tyler, thanks for the correction on OL - I meant outside linebacker (OLB) but I know it can be confused with Offensive Lineman - should've spelled it out. As far as Willie He was #1 in rushing yards in the entire league before he went out with an injury, plus he has a SB Ring and I don't need to tell you what he did to the Seahawks in SB XL. Not bad for an undrafted free agent (that would be great for a #1 overall draft pick).
Big Ben is underrated, last year he was 2nd only to Brady in touchdowns during the regular season - he is definitely underrated. With an O-line equal to Brady, he could put up similar numbers - he avoids the rush much better, but when he has time, he is very accurate.
Thanks for the feedback all! WS
write a new comment