Big Ben will stay at Steelers until 2021



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PITTSBURGH – The last remaining Killer B will guide the Steelers into a new era.

The Steelers grant a further two-year extension to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who ties him to Pittsburgh during the 2021 season, said a source to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Pittsburgh announced the deal Wednesday.

The expansion almost guarantees that Big Ben will finish his career with the same franchise that he composed in 2004.

NFL ranking
Pass yards 5.129 1
Total QBR 72 4th
TD Pass 34 5th
INT 16 1
– ESPN Statistics and Information

"I'm grateful to the Rooneys and Steelers organizations for continuing to believe in me," said Roethlisberger in a statement announcing the deal. "It's always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh, it's our homeland for me and my family, and we love this city, and I'm just as excited to be a Steeler in Grade 16 as when I was recruited, will get my best. "

Roethlisberger, who turned 37 on March 2, still had an extension of $ 87.6 million that he had signed in 2015. This transaction provided a base salary of $ 12 million for 2019, which the Steelers resumed under the new extension. Roethlisberger also received a $ 5 million alignment bonus on March 15th.

With The "Veon Bell leaving club after a year of resistance and Antonio Brown forcing an exchange with the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger is key to guiding Pittsburgh beyond a dead season.

The Steelers began discussing a new deal for Roethlisberger after the 2018 season, but the parties had not yet agreed to their conditions for the new championship year. To complicate matters, the quarterback market is on the rise: Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson has become the NFL's highest paid player after signing a $ 140 million contract extension last week.

Since the Steelers generally do not guarantee their contracts beyond the signing bonus, the Roethlisberger contract should include several bonuses.

Roethlisberger has two wins in the Super Bowl and ranks sixth all-time in yards (56.194) and seventh in touchdowns (363). He led the NFL passing yards in 2018 with 5,129. The Steelers have never had a losing season with the quarterback and he is among the franchise leaders in career games played with 216.

The quarterback has been criticized by the public for his relationship with Brown, who has had six consecutive 100 catches before leaving Pittsburgh. Brown was not happy when Roethlisberger criticized the receiver's route in a radio show after a defeat against the Denver Broncos in the 12th week. Brown then tweeted that Roethlisberger had an "owner mentality" by calling out coaches and teammates who were afraid to question him.

Brown then told Jeff Darlington of ESPN during a camera interview that he had received conflicting messages from his quarterback.

"If I'm your guy, let me know I'm your guy, but do not say I'm your guy and I'm pointing at him," Brown said. "Do not say I'm your guy and do not throw the ball at me all the first quarter."

General Manager Kevin Colbert defended Roethlisberger during a media session in mid-February, but made more noise when he said the QB had "52 children" under him. Later, Colbert clarified on the NFL network that he was trying to make it clear that Roethlisberger had more experience than his teammates, as well as a Super Bowl pedigree.

"Ben is the undisputed leader of this group," said Colbert on February 20th. "He is the oldest of the statesmen and the [only] Super Bowl Winner [remaining on the roster]. If our players were smart, they would listen because he was there, he did it. He can tell them, "No, guys, what you do is or is not good enough." And honestly, I think it can be a burden to him more often than he would like to admit, because he must … he has 52 children under him, very honestly. I want them to get up and say: "Hey, Ben, what should I do? Can I do this better? What should we do to win a Super Bowl?

"I think that once you've won, you have 53 guys who can say what it took, but for now, it's the only one, so I have no problem with He can call me, and that's fine. "

In 2019, Roethlisberger will be responsible for leading a younger and younger locker room and raising a passing match that has lost two major talents in as many years. The team gives him several years to do exactly that.

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