Mike Tomlin: It’s reasonable to assume there’s a chance Ben Roethlisberger will return

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Ben Roethlisberger did not look like a man who planned to play in 2021 immediately following Sunday’s loss to Cleveland.

Between tears and lingering on the bench, Roethlisberger seemed to be done. But he said now was not the time to have a discussion about retirement at his post-game press conference.

Roethlisberger is under contract for next season, but carries a charge of $ 41.25 million which will become official on March 17.

But at least on Wednesday, Roethlisberger’s head coach wasn’t pushing him out the door.

“I don’t have a clear assessment of the overall impact of the cap’s ramifications, so I may not have a direct answer to your question. But I think it’s reasonable to assume there’s a chance he will be back, certainly, ”said Mike Tomlin at his press conference. “The depth of the ramifications of the ceilings talks, I’m not aware of because I’m here right now.”

Tomlin also credited Roethlisberger for coming through the season in good health, as there were a lot of questions about his surgically repaired right elbow. The injury caused him to miss 14 games in 2019. The quarterback finished the season completing 65.6% of his passes for 3,803 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

But given the implications of the cap and the fact that Roethlisberger turns 39 next May, there’s still a long way to go for him and the Steelers by 2021.