Big Ben’s decision will determine what the Steelers are capable of in free service.
PITTSBURGH – With an empty field in front, $ 55.72 million in contracts was in the bank at Heinz Field. The late season of the Pittsburgh Steelers was shorter than anyone in the organization expected when they lost the wildcard game to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
And with retirement looming in their future, maybe sooner than they expected, it could be the last time the quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 38, and the middle Maurkice Pouncey, 31, share a bank.
They all have one more year on their contract, but especially both Roethlisberger and his position in the 41.2 million salary cap represent the biggest conundrum out of season with a view of the Steelers. Pittsburgh needs to build for the future while connected to its past.
A team known for stability will be challenged this spring by the cost in its veterans’ salary cap, driving the Steelers to complete a full rebuild or another round of expansions and restructuring to postpone the salary ceiling for another year and keep the window open for Roethlisberger to a Super Bowl.
“It’s very difficult,” said the defensive equipment. Cameron Heyward. “The team looks completely different every year. I am grateful that everyone came to work in that locker room, sacrificed, including their families. It has not been our year. We’ve done great things, but we haven’t achieved our goal. It pains me to know that we are going to lose players ”.
The Steelers, led by executive Omar Khan, They are known for their ability to restructure contracts and share costs with renewals. However, that task becomes increasingly difficult for players in the later years of their career and with lower capitalization.
Without any restructuring, veterans Roethlisberger, Pouncey, Heyward, David DeCastro, Stephon Tuitt, Joe Haden and Steve Nelson take 71% of it an expected salary cap of $ 182.4 million, lowered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is very possible that I will go next year,” Heyward said after Sunday’s defeat. “I don’t know what to expect. We are in uncharted territory to say the least and changes need to be made. That’s part of the game. We’re all dealing with this.”
Roethlisberger’s salary alone represents more than 40% of the ceiling for 2021, a significant expense for a team of 19 unlimited free agents and a handful of more limited and limited exclusive rights.
Of those free agents, five started at least one match as an offense and five as a defense. Two others are the mainstays of special equipment, including Jordan Berry.
JuJu Smith-Schuster It’s slated to hit the market for the first time in its career, but on Sunday night it has expressed a desire to stay in Pittsburgh.
“I would like to stay. I have laid a solid foundation. I like Coach (Mike) Tomlin and Coach Ike (Hilliard) everyone around me. They helped me change my way of being ”.
But the Steelers may not be able to keep it.
Even without retaining any of the free agents, the Steelers are expected to exceed nearly 31 million with 35 players on the roster, according to the roster management system of ESPN. That means free agents like Smith-Schuster, Mike Hilton, Cam Sutton or even Bud Dupree, they’ll probably go.
The maximum that the Steeles can reduce Roethlisberger’s 2021 hit is $ 19 million, either through retirement or an extension with a restructuring to split his base salary and roster bonus. However, the $ 22.5 million pro rata? That money is being spent, and it is money that cannot be used to reinforce badly needed areas, such as the attack line, backsliding, and within linebacker positions to begin with.
Roethlisberger noted after the game that he has not yet made a decision about his future, although an earlier report came out Adam Schefter from ESPN, stressed that the strategist plans to fulfill the final year of his contract. Big Ben’s decision will dictate how much – or how little – the Steelers can do in the field of free duty.