Big Ben Extension Keeps Steelers in Playoff Conversation but There's Work to Do

This is it. 

In a move first reported by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Big Ben Roethlisberger's extension of five years and $99 million signals what amounts to the twilight of an era for both the club and the 33-year-old quarterback.

Though further details of the contract have yet to be released at the request of both the club and the player, it appears as if this contract will ensure that Roethlisberger retires with the team that drafted him back in 2004. 

This also keeps the Steelers as a fringe playoff contender—especially in a perennially weak AFC playoff field—for at least the rest of the time Roethlisberger remains the team's passer. However, at the same time, it gives them a deadline of sorts, as teams will typically face rebuilding or at least retooling around the departure of a franchise passer. 

The extension frames everything the team must do over the next couple of years. 

It's been a bit of an existential crisis over the past few years for Pittsburgh, which last won a championship in 2008 and last had back-to-back playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. Though the Steelers were able to make the playoffs with an 11-5 performance in 2014, they lost in the first round to the Baltimore Ravens and have yet to regain the defensive swagger that has defined them for much of their history. 

Last season, the Steelers were 18th in both yards and points allowed.  

Instead, this Steelers iteration dominated headlines with its "Killer B's" lineup of Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown. In terms of yardage, both Roethlisberger and Brown were first within their respective positions, while Bell was the second. According to the analytics site Pro Football Focus, we're talking about the best receiver, the best running back and the third-best quarterback. 

Now, all three of those men are signed through at least 2016, and the Roethlisberger extension is likely to give the Steelers both consistency and more cap space to continue adding talent around that group. 

As currently composed, the Steelers can be counted on as a near-lock to hover at or above .500, even if "worst-case scenarios" might strike them. Yet, in an AFC North with the always difficult Cincinnati Bengals and Ravens to contend with, things will not be easy, and the 8-8 records of 2012 and 2013 might be more the norm if this team doesn't continue to add talent over the next couple of seasons. 

Fans tend to have tunnel vision in situations like this one, as they can qualify additions and subtractions made to their own team but very rarely consider that every single team in the NFL believes it will get better over the course of the offseason via free agency and the draft. So even if the Steelers do well between now and the start of the regular season, the Ravens and Bengals could easily hold serve.

In short: The Steelers still need to make a splash or two, even if it doesn't have to be flashy. 

So far, the Steelers have done well to keep their own players, like extending Roethlisberger, restructuring center Maurkice Pouncey's contract, among others (first reported by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports), and re-signing linebacker Arthur Moats, according to Pro Football Talk. 

Name	Position	Former Team	2014 PFF Rating
Patrick Robinson	CB	New Orleans Saints	0.1
Reggie Wayne	WR	Indianapolis Colts	-10.3
Rob Housler	TE	Arizona Cardinals	-8.2
J.D. Walton	C/OG	New York Giants	-19.6
Jeron Johnson	S	Seattle Seahawks	1.4

The Steelers have plenty of cap room to work with as well but have seemed content to use it for their own players, though they've also been expected to sign running back DeAngelo Williams, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, both to pair with Bell and to hold down the fort during his upcoming suspension. 

The real question for the Steelers is whether they'll continue to build out their offense around their superstars or whether they'll reinvest on the defensive side of the ball, where they've seen consistent decline thanks to the age and departure of former stalwarts like linebacker LaMarr Woodley, safety Troy Polamalu, cornerback Ike Taylor and defensive lineman Aaron Smith. 

Attempts to replace these foundational members of past Steelers teams have not always gone as planned, as linebackers Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones have not had the immediate impact some may have hoped, and 27-year-old Jason Worilds headed to retirement after a solid 2013 and a breakout 2014, where he established himself as one of the best Steelers defenders.

Name	Position	School	Miller's Big Board
Jalen Collins	CB	LSU	No. 25
Marcus Peters	CB	Washington	No. 12
Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota	No. 28
Eddie Goldman	NT	Florida State	No. 30
Alvin Dupree	OLB	Kentucky	No. 19

Now, the Steelers have major holes to fill both in the defensive backfield and along the defensive line and could use depth in the linebacker corps even if they fully expect the group to mesh and step up in a bigger way this season (which is entirely possible).

Over on offense, the receiving corps is promising but young and still largely untested, except for Brown, who shoulders a great deal of the load. At tight end, Heath Miller is dependable but will turn 33 this season, and recently re-signed Matt Spaeth is only a year younger and not a weapon in the passing game. 

The offensive line overachieved (or, perhaps better, stopped underachieving) in 2014, with linemen like tackle Kelvin Beachum and guard David DeCastro stepping up in a big way around Pouncey; however any regression at any spot—or injuries—could harm this unit, which has jelled and benefits from the Steelers' ability to always threaten with both the run and the pass. 

Much of this is well-known by the Steelers faithful, however, as well as their opponents and rivals. 

The bottom line for this extension is that the work is not done, but that said, work will not be done in vain, because this team appears to have pulled itself up from the mires of potential mediocrity and seems poised for so much more.

As long as Roethlisberger is around to lead this team, the Steelers know they have the ability to build toward greatness. 

Michael Schottey is an award-winning NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a writer for Football Insiders. Follow him on Twitter.