Big Ben Strikes It Rich
Ben Roethlisberger said from the day the Steelers took him with the 11th overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft that he wanted to spend his entire career in a black-and-gold uniform.
One Super Bowl championship, two division titles and a handful of broken passing records later, the Steelers made it abundantly clear they feel the same way.
The Steelers and Roethlisberger reached an agreement on an eight-year contract Monday that could be worth as much as $102 million. The deal replaces the one that had two years left on it and includes $33.2 million in guaranteed money, as well as a $25.2 million signing bonus.
Roethlisberger signed the new contract a day after he celebrated his 26th birthday, and the deal makes him the third highest-paid player in the NFL, behind fellow quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer.
"I appreciate the commitment the Steelers have given me," Roethlisberger said during a news conference at the team's South Side practice facility. "They believe in me that I can be the best I want to be."
Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl, and last season he set a Steelers single-season record with 32 touchdown passes. He also finished second only to New England's Tom Brady among NFL quarterbacks in 2007 with a 104.1 passer rating and recently played in his first Pro Bowl.
The Steelers made it clear that they lavished the biggest contract in franchise history on Roethlisberger not only for what he has done but for what they also expect him to accomplish as he enters the prime of his career.
"There's only been 27 quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl, and we have one of them," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "Being that he's 26 years old, he has the chance to really do some special things in his career. Usually, these guys don't peak at the age of 25 or 26, so we really think his better days are ahead of him."
As big a payday as he received yesterday, Roethlisberger could have been in position to make even more money, given the uncertainty of the labor situation in the NFL and the possibility that there won't be a salary cap, when his original six-year deal would have expired.
Ryan Tollner, one of Roethlisberger's agents, said the deal Roethlisberger signed provides him with financial security and insurance in case of an injury. More importantly, Tollner said, it gives Roethlisberger a chance to finish his career where it started.
"This is about being a Pittsburgh Steeler for as long as I can be," Roethlisberger said. "I don't want to go anywhere else. I love Pittsburgh, and we've probably got the best fans and organization in all of sports."
Tollner said Roethlisberger would be amenable to restructuring his contract down the road to help the Steelers in regard to the salary cap and their ability to sign players.
Roethlisberger's new contract does not contain anything that specifically prohibits him from riding motorcycles (he suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident in June 2006). It does have, Tollner said, standard clauses that prohibit him from taking part in what is deemed as a dangerous activity that could lead to injury.
Tollner said such clauses also were in Roethlisberger's first contract.
He said he and his brother, Bruce, who is also Roethlisberger's agent, said they won't instruct their client not to ride motorcycles.
But, Ryan Tollner added, "We certainly advise him on what the effects might be on his contract."
Roethlisberger sidestepped a couple of questions regarding motorcycles and seemed more interested in talking about the future -- especially since he doesn't have to worry about his future in Pittsburgh, where he lives year-round.
"Coach (Mike )Tomlin and I said we can put (his contract situation) behind us now and focus strictly on football and getting more rings and more championships for this organization," Roethlisberger said. "I believe that we can be a championship football team. It's time to really strap it on and play football, because we have all the pieces that we need right here."