Ben Roethlisberger Contract Extension 'Great Scenario' for Steelers, Owner Says

Ben Roethlisberger's 17th season in the NFL may be his most important campaign to date. 

Not only are the Pittsburgh Steelers in desperate need of consistent quarterback play after the club went 8-8 in 2019, but Roethlisberger is out to prove he can still thrive after an elbow injury cost him all but two games last year.

He's also two years away from free agency, and given the state of the Steelers quarterback room, it's an issue the club can't ignore. Fortunately for Roethlisberger, 38, Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney II is open to bringing him back.

"Obviously after the season we'll evaluate his contract situation along with other contract decisions we have to make,'' Rooney told Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. "But if Ben feels like playing longer and it looks like he's capable of doing it, certainly that would be a great scenario."

Roethlisberger is already the longest-tenured player in franchise history and delivered two Super Bowls to Pittsburgh over the course of his career. 

As he finds himself in a position to prove he can still perform, Rooney hasn't seen anything that would lead him to believe Roethlisberger isn't still capable of racking up wins.

"We're excited what we see from Ben so far in this training camp," Rooney said. "We're looking forward to what he can do this season. Certainly, his arm strength looks to be as good as it's ever been. That's a good sign."

As for whether the drive to succeed on the field remains for Roethlisberger, his wife Ashley cleared that up during a documentary series detailing the QB's return to the field (h/t ESPN's Brooke Pryor):

"I told him that I was only going to say this one time, I wanted him to hear me and mark my words, not going to bring it up again, but if he felt content where he was with the career that he's had and it's on his heart to just be done, I would support him 100% in that. He doesn't have to worry about my feelings in all that. I want what he wants. I was basically just handing him permission to retire if that's where his heart was and I was going to support him in that.

"And he listened, and you could tell he really took it to heart and thought. And he said, 'Thank you, but I don't feel done. I'm not done.'"

That's exceptionally good news for Pittsburgh if Roethlisberger is healthy. 

The Steelers tried two quarterbacks last season with their starter on the bench. Neither Mason Rudolph nor Devlin Hodges had a passer rating above 82, and the duo combined for 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

Roethlisberger, meanwhile, posted a passer rating of 96.5 over 16 games in 2018 to go with a league-leading 5,129 yards, 34 touchdowns and 16 picks. 

The more time he can buy the Steelers at quarterback, the better off the franchise is.