Steelers won’t look for future quarterback in free agency

The Steelers need to start thinking about the future beyond Ben Roethlisberger. Here’s why Pittsburgh is unlikely to address quarterback in free agency.

Heading into next season, the arrow is pointed up for the Steelers. As fans, we want to see our team competitive each and every year, and the return of Ben Roethlisberger will give Pittsburgh a fighting chance in 2020. Unfortunately, the inevitable end to Big Ben’s storied career is drawing closer to an end.

Nobody wants to think about the future of the Steelers and where they will be in a few years without Roethlisberger, but it is something that certainly needs to be addressed. Without Ben in 2019, Pittsburgh had perhaps the worst quarterback play in the league with a combination of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.

Roethlisberger turns 38 years old this offseason, and regardless of the severe lack of depth behind him, it’s highly unlikely the Steelers look to help the quarterback position in free agency this year.

The NFL free-agent pool is currently littered with talent at the quarterback position with names like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater,  Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston, and more. While many of these players will be returning to their current teams, some will be ripe for the picking. However, there are several reasons why Pittsburgh won’t be able to strengthen this position via free agency.

For starters, Roethlisberger’s $91.2 million deal he signed last year makes it clear that this job is his until he chooses to walk away from the game. Ben still has two years left on his deal, and it may be premature to bring in a high profile quarterback this offseason.

The main reason Pittsburgh won’t be able to add much-needed depth to the quarterback position, however, has to do with a severe lack of money. The Steelers are currently 30th in the NFL available cap space. Bud Dupree’s extension is obviously a priority for Pittsburgh, and they will need to cut a few players just to make that work.

With limited funds to go around, the Steelers will not be able to offer quarterbacks the same amount of money that other teams will be able to. This, however, doesn’t rule out the possibility of Pittsburgh drafting a quarterback in April. Though the player that they would draft wouldn’t be ready to step in right away for Ben in the event of an injury, he would be a significantly cheaper alternative to paying one in free agency.

The sad truth is that if Roethlisberger goes down in 2020, the season will be lost (likely resting in the hands of Mason Rudolph). Pittsburgh just needs to hope that they can go these next two seasons without any severe injuries to their future Hall of Fame quarterback.