Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Reportedly Agree to Restructured Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers have restructured the contract of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ahead of the start of the new league year Wednesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

Roethlisberger was set to enter 2020 with a $33.5 million cap hit, but the Steelers can free up space by moving some of his $12.5 million bonus to the 2021 season.

The quarterback initially signed a two-year, $68 million extension last year that keeps him under contract through the 2021 season.

The contract looks worse after a lost 2019 season where the quarterback missed 14 games due to an elbow injury. A year after leading the NFL with 5,129 passing yards, Roethlisberger finishing 2019 with just 351 yards and zero touchdown passes.

Though he's expected to return in 2020, holding the second-highest cap hit in the NFL behind only Jared Goff is not ideal.

Meanwhile, the Steelers were forced to be aggressive with salaries as they enter the new league year $7.77 million over the cap, per Spotrac. They are the only team in the NFL without cap space.

In addition to Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh has also restructured contracts of cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Vance McDonald, kicker Chris Boswell and cornerback Steve Nelson.

The retirement of Ramon Foster could also help clear some cap room.

After a disappointing 8-8 season, the pressure is on the front office to field a competitive team that fits under the cap.