4 important Steelers who could be playing their final season in 2021
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers have several important veterans who are on their last legs. Here are four players who could be playing their final season in 2021.
Steelers fans are looking forward to the 2021 season, and we are all hoping it proves to be one for the ages. After there was uncertainty surrounding quarterback Ben Roethlisberger entering the 2021 offseason after the 2020 season ended in disappointment, the two-time Super Bowl champion took a pay cut in order to stick around for one more season.
With the way the organization has structured contracts in an effort to try to win one more year before the team begins to rebuild, Pittsburgh could look to go in an entirely different direction after the 2021 season, and some older veterans may not be part of the plan. Here are four key Steelers players who could be playing their final season in 2021:
QB Ben Roethlisberger
This one isn’t exactly a surprise, while some believe that the Steelers could try to sign him back for one final run after the 2021 season, his voidable-year contract doesn’t suggest that. Pittsburgh restructured his contract in a way that made his base salary just $1.075 million in 2021, but the team will be eating $10.3 million in dead cap space from his contract in 2022, according to Over the Cap.
In all honesty, every sign is pointing to this as Ben Roethlisberger’s last seasons with the Steelers. The aging quarterback really struggled at the end of the 2020 season and into the playoffs. If he doesn’t show much improvement in 2021, there isn’t going to be a reason to welcome him back in 2022 – even if there wasn’t the issue with the voidable-year contract. Big Ben is done after the 2021 season.