Art Rooney II: Steelers will re-sign Roethlisberger if ‘Ben feels like playing longer’

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is returning from a serious elbow injury he suffered in 2019. Here’s what Art Rooney II had to say about potentially re-signing his franchise passer.

Aside from maybe just the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers had perhaps the worst quarterback play in the National Football League last year. So when talks arose about potentially getting an extension done with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, it’s not hard to see why ownership is on board.

Recently, Steelers owner Art Rooney II spoke with Ed Bouchette of The Athletic regarding Roethlisberger’s future with the team and if they have plans to extend his contract that is currently on track to expire after the 2021 season. Here’s what Art Rooney II had to say about Big Ben, according to Bouchette:

"“Obviously after the season we’ll evaluate his contract situation along with other contract decisions we have to make. But if Ben feels like playing longer, and it looks like he’s capable of doing it, certainly that would be a great scenario… We’re excited what we see from Ben so far in this training camp. We’re looking forward to what he can do this season. Certainly, his arm strength looks to be as good as it’s ever been. That’s a good sign.”"

After witnessing the offensive trainwreck that occurred in 2019 without his star quarterback, I wouldn’t expect Rooney to respond any other way. Obviously, much of this decision is contingent upon whether or not Roethlisberger can check the boxes this season.

First, Ben has to be able to stay on the football field. In 16 NFL season, Roethlisberger has played each game just 4 times. While this by itself isn’t enough for the Steelers to let him walk, a significant setback to his throwing elbow or other major injuries could be enough for Pittsburgh to start thinking about the future.

In addition, Roethlisberger needs to show that his play isn’t rapidly declining. Just two years ago, Big Ben led the NFL in passing yards, but his efficiency had leveled off. If he finishes in the bottom half of NFL quarterbacks this year in terms of yards per attempt, interception percentage, and total offensive production, it could be enough to sway the Steelers in another direction.

While whichever version of Ben we get this year will clearly be an improvement over the dumpster fire that was Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges from a season ago. It’s important to note that any contract extension for Roethlisberger will push him into his 40s. While legendary players like Drew Brees and Tom Brady are able to keep going in their old age, we can’t automatically assume Big Ben can do the same thing – especially with how much wear and tear he’s had throughout his career.

The fact of the matter is that Ben is getting old. But Art Rooney II is wise enough to know that the veteran signal-caller still gives this team the best chance to win. Let’s hope Roethlisberger returns to form in 2020 and proves why he deserves another extension.