During the 2020 offseason, Ben Roethlisberger was on the books for the Pittsburgh Steelers for $41.25 million in the form of a cap hit. Yikes. If you had a healthier and much younger Roethlisberger coming into the 2021 season, then there would be little argument against keeping the future Hall of Fame quarterback on the team for that amount.
Roethlisberger took a pay cut of $5 million by signing a new contract. This new contract actually ends after this upcoming season, leaving the quarterback with a choice on whether he plans to come back to the team on his own accord.
In a Zoom meeting with reporters, Roethlisberger said that the reduction in salary was his idea. The reason? For the Steelers to sign free agents in the offseason or even resign current players.
Not a bad plan.
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Quite honestly, in a broader sense, many more older quarterbacks or high-paid veterans could forfeit a small percentage of their total salary to give their teams more flexibility when it comes to getting talent and resigning current players ready to become free agents.
All things considered, this is not at all a bad move for the Steelers. They have a mature quarterback who understands that he is not struggling for money at the moment as a result of him being a top-paid athlete. Currently, the 17-year vet is the second most ever in the NFL for career earnings, according to Spotrac.com.
Will this be a trend we see in the league for other older quarterbacks or positions in general? Leave your thoughts and comments below!
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