Feb 10, 2015 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers have opened negotiations on a contract extension with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that they believe will allow him to finish his career in Pittsburgh.

According to Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, the talks with Roethlisberger’s agent, Ryan Tollner, are still in the preliminary stages but the team is hopeful they will not be prolonged.

“There is no timetable on it,” said Colbert. “It could take a little while. As I have always said, when you have two parties who are really interested in getting the same goal achieved, it usually goes quicker than not.”

Roethlisberger, who turns 33 next month, is coming off a season in which he passed for a team-record 4,952 yards – tying Drew Brees of New Orleans for the league lead – with 32 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

Roethlisberger has one year remaining on a six-year, $88-million extension he signed in 2008.

“I think Ben is a franchise quarterback who is getting better with age,” said Colbert when asked if Roethlisberger’s age would be a factor in the length of a possible deal.

“You have seen it with a couple of great players still playing in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Their games have certainly not deteriorated. I really think Ben is going to be a better quarterback down the road than he has been up to this point. I think that is his goal, too.”

Brady, 37, just led the New England Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl championship since he became the team’s starter in 2001, while Manning, who turns 39 next month, led Denver to the Super Bowl in 2013.

The AFC has been represented in the Super Bowl by teams led by Brady, Manning or Roethlisberger in 12 of the past 14 seasons. Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to three Super Bowls, winning twice.

Colbert believes the Steelers, who are coming off an 11-5 season in which they won the AFC North for the first time since 2010, are just a couple of players away from reaching the Super Bowl again.

“I just think (Roethlisberger) will continue to get better with good players around him,” Colbert said. “I think (running back) Le’Veon Bell and (receivers) Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, those guys have another level they can reach and continue to grow. You see him growing with a different group.

“I can allude to Tom Brady and the Patriots. The Patriots have retooled their team several times around a great player. Obviously, the results are a Super Bowl championship this year. I think that part of Ben will grow as the players around him grow if he has the right players around him.”

Colbert said he and head coach Mike Tomlin will meet today with the rest of the coaching staff and the scouting department to begin formulating their plan for the offseason, including identifying possible free agents to target when the period begins March 10.

They also will begin assessing the salary cap situation, though they won’t have a solid number to work until the league officially sets the cap a few days before the free-agent period begins.

Most estimates have the cap around $140 million, which would give the Steelers $2.5 to $3 million in space. But the Steelers must decide the future of some veteran players still under contract, such as safety Troy Polamalu and Brett Keisel, and which of its own free agents to re-sign. Pittsburgh has several players, particularly on defense, who are to become free agents, including linebackers Jason Worilds and James Harrison and cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Brice McCain.

Re-signing Worilds, who turns 27 next month, is high on the list of priorities. The Steelers placed the transition tag on Worilds in 2014, paying him $9.75 million for a season in which he tied for the team lead with 7 1/2 sacks.

“Jason had a good year for us last year,” said Colbert. “He is still a young player. He is probably still an ascending player. I don’t think you’ve seen the best of him, either as a Steeler or as a potential player for someone else’s team. He is definitely someone that we will consider keeping. We will see where the market goes.”

Colbert said the Steelers don’t know what to expect in terms of a potential supension or punishment for Bell. The running back pleaded guilty to a DUI and marijuana possession charge that came during an August traffic stop and was placed in an ARD program last week. Colbert said the Steelers will be prepared for whatever discipline from the league that Bell is given, which could include a one or two-game suspension. … Steelers scouts and coaches will be in Indianapolis next week for the NFL Combine to assess potential draft picks. … Keisel, who finished the season on injured reserve with triceps injury, Tweeted Tuesday that he had undergone a surgical procedure on his shoulder.