Pittsburgh Steelers fans are rest assured that their stalwart Ben Roethlisberger will be returning to action for the 2021 NFL Season.
The 39-year-old quarterback signed a one-year contract with the team on Thursday, which is set to mark his 18th season with the franchise.
However, the two time Super Bowl champion willingly took a $5 million reduction in his pay for the upcoming season. The reason? Steelers now have saved a $15.335 million of cap space as a result of “Big Ben”s decision.
Ben Roethlisberger’s pay cut lowered Steelers’ cap hit by over $15 million
The news of the pay cut was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, who revealed that Ben Roethlisberger has reduced his pay down to $14 million from $19 million, as well as spread the cash payment through 2022.
“It is my greatest honor to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and give my all for this organization,” Roethlisberger stated, “I am grateful to be at this stage of my career and more than happy to adjust my contract in a way that best helps the team to address other players who are so vital to our success.”
“I love this game and love to compete, and I believe in this team and my ability to deliver when called upon. It all starts with great preparation and I am ready to go,” the veteran QB added.
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Ben’s pay cut has lowered Steelers’ cap hit by more than $15 million, which will help to rebuild the squad before the next NFL season starts. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network further added that some amount of Ben’s remaining pay was converted into a signing bonus, which further helped the team’s cap space.
With the team-friendly contract extension, Ben’s total cap for the upcoming seasons has been reduced to $25.9 million all the way from $41.25 million.
A 2004 first round draft pick out of Miami RedHawks, Ben Roethlisberger has spent the entirety of his NFL career with the Steelers, with whom he has won the Super Bowl XL as well as the Super Bowl XLIII.
Ben has been a Pro-Bowler six times and the NFL passing yards leader twice. After injuring his right elbow in Week 2, he had missed the whole 2019 season and made his comeback to the squad on Week 1 of the 2020 season, which he finished with 3,803 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Steelers finished the 2020 regular season as NFC North leaders, with a 12-4 record, which included a solid 11-0 winning streak with contributions from Roethlisberger and co. However, their playoff run came to an abrupt stop after they were defeated 37-48 by Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round.
