Steelers president stands firm on Ben Roethlisberger's future

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Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II set the record straight regarding Ben Roethlisberger’s future with the team, saying Wednesday "we would like to have him back."

Rooney released a statement confirming that both sides met on Tuesday to discuss their plans going forward. He expressed a commitment to having the veteran quarterback return for the 2021 season but that they would have to revisit his contract in order to make it happen. 

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"Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting," Rooney’s statement read. "We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go. Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that we would like to have him back to help us win a championship."

He continued: "We both understand that the next step is to work out Ben's contract situation."

Roethlisberger is entering his final season, which comes with a $41.2 million cap hit, but, according to ESPN, they could restructure his contract to lower it by around $14 million max. He could also opt for the minimum, which would bring his cap hit down to around $23 million. 

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His agent told the NFL Network on Tuesday that Roethlisberger is willing to revisit his contract. 

"As we've shared since the season ended, we are happy to creatively adjust his contract to help them build the best team possible," Ryan Tollner said. "A year ago, Ben wasn't sure if he could throw again, but he battled back to get 12 wins and the eighth division title of his career." 

"They lost steam down the stretch and that doesn't sit well for him, so the fire burns strong and there is plenty of gas in the tank."

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Roethlisberger looked as if he was taking the Steelers all the way but after losing to the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card playoff round in January, he sounded as if he knew his time in Pittsburgh was coming to an end. 

"It’s going to start between me and God," he said. "Lot of praying. And a lot of talking with my family. I still have a year left on my contract. I hope the Steelers want me back if that’s the way we go."

Big Ben’s playoff record fell to 13-9 this past season and the Steelers lost five of their final six games but it seems like the veteran will get another chance to try and bring home a second Super Bowl ring.