Roethlisberger will return in 2017
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws on the first play of the NFL football game against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger warms up before the AFC championship NFL football game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass. Roethlisberger announced on Twitter Friday, April 7, 2017, that heþÄôs told the Steelers he plans to be under center in 2017. þÄúInformed the team I am looking forward to my 14th season,þÄù Roethlisberger posted. þÄúSteeler Nation will get my absolute best.þÄù (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Ben Roethlisberger sent shockwaves through Steelers Nation when he said he would need some time to think about whether he would return for a 14th season after losing in the AFC Championship to the New England Patriots.
On Friday, Roethlisberger announced the time was up and he would, in fact, be back.
“Informed the team I am looking forward to my 14th season. Steelers Nation will get my absolute best! — Ben,” Roethlisberger posted on his Twitter account.
The announcement of his return wasn’t a surprise to the Steelers.
Team president Art Rooney II said in February he had spoken with Roethlisberger and had a good idea which way the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback was leaning. General manager Kevin Colbert said at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February that he was working on the assumption Roethlisberger would be back unless he heard otherwise.
Roethlisberger turned 35 in March and said that once a player reaches his mid-30s, the decision whether or not to continue playing is only natural.
The Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2004 draft, Roethlisberger is coming off a season in which he led the team to the AFC North Championship, guiding the team to the conference title game for the fifth time in his career.
He completed more than 64 percent of his passes for 3,819 yards, 29 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, posting a passer rating of 95.4 in 14 games.
He has led the Steelers to a 123-60 record in the regular season and a 13-7 mark in the postseason. Roethlisberger holds nearly every career team passing record.
“As an organization, we have been hopeful that Ben would return this year,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Steelers.com. “Ben and I have had many conversations, and I understood at this point in his career, he is going to have to think about his long-term future. There is no question Ben wants to win championships for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we know he will do everything possible to lead our entire team to achieving that goal.”
Roethlisberger has three years remaining on a contract that will pay him $12 million in base salary in 2017. He counts $18.2 million against the salary cap, a relative bargain considering he is one of just three active quarterbacks who have won multiple Super Bowls.
Colbert, however, did acknowledge that the team must begin consideration of acquiring a long-term replacement option for the star quarterback in the not-too-distant future.
“He is getting older,” Colbert acknowledged. “He’s getting better. He was hit less (in 2016) than any other year in his career. So chances are that he will extend his career — maybe, but we don’t know how long he’ll will go. But you always have to be prepared to select a quarterback at some point. And he’s aware of that. We’ve talked about it. He understands that if we add a guy into the mix — we’ll do that at some point.”
The NFL draft will be held April 27-29. The Steelers have shown some interest in the available quarterbacks, including bringing in former Texas Tech star Pat Mahomes – considered a first-round prospect – in for a private visit earlier this week.