4 Steelers that will be grossly overpaid in 2021 if not cut
By Andrew Falce
Ben Roethlisberger
If Haden hurt to write about, this one is a knockout. Despite his illustrious Hall of Fame career, Ben Roethlisberger is no longer the quarterback he once was. He is set to earn 19 million dollars in 2021 and have a monster cap hit of 41.25 dollars as a result of past restructures. Given the step back this team is likely to take and the amount of young talent that the team could lose in free agency, Roethlisberger isn’t worth the money he is making.
While his 2020 started off strong, it became clear that his arm wasn’t completely there. While the offensive scheme didn’t help him (or anyone, for that matter), his deep ball was more often than not missing the target. This was made worse when defenses realized what was coming and began to shut down this offense. Those issues will only get worse next year, and that 19 million dollars could be spent elsewhere.
Now, the Steelers won’t cut Roethlisberger this season, but there is a real chance he retires, or the team strongly suggests he retires as they did with Troy Polamalu. That 19 million could go a long way in getting cap compliant and resigning some of the key young pieces that will be gone otherwise. While the team’s competitiveness will certainly take a hit, as Roethlisberger gives the team the best chance to win next year, keeping the young talent that would be lost would be better long term. His declining play doesn’t warrant the money he is set to earn.
Must Read. Steelers Draft Study: Reasons why taking a RB early is a waste of a pick. light
While all the players above have had varying success in a Steelers uniform, each of them are on bad contracts for the team next year. While each one may not be cut, realize that by keeping them, the odds of retaining other free agents decrease. The team will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, and a lot of those start here.