Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers had positive meeting about his return?
Much had been made in NFL circles about the fact that Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had not yet met with team officials about potentially restructuring his contract to offer salary-cap relief for the 2021 season.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that's no longer the case:
What exactly "went well" means in this context is unknown as of early Tuesday afternoon. The facts remain that Roethlisberger has indicated he's not retiring and wants to play for the Steelers next fall, that his current contract carries a $41.25 million cap hit for the 2021 campaign, and that Pittsburgh would suffer a $22.25 million dead cap hit upon releasing the two-time Super Bowl champion who turns 39 years old on March 2.
While the math seems to indicate Roethlisberger will be Pittsburgh's QB1 in September, NFL Network insider and AFC North analyst Aditi Kinkhabwala reported on Monday that some within the Steelers believe "it is time to simply move forward" without Big Ben on the roster. That's much easier said than done, financially speaking, but Dulac's update suggests the signal-caller and club are nearing a resolution that will benefit both for at least one more season.
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