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Ben Roethlisberger stays with the Steelers
Photo: Adrian Kraus / dpa
NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stays with the Pittsburgh Steelers for another season.
Two days after his 39th birthday, Roethlisberger and the Steelers announced the agreement.
"We know that Ben can still play at a high level and do special things for our team," said General Manager Kevin Colbert.
For his new contract, Roethlisberger agrees to a wage waiver of five million dollars.
Instead of the original 19 million, "Big Ben" now earns 14 million dollars for the coming year.
After the past season, a return of the veteran was uncertain.
The Steelers started the season with eleven wins and were considered one of the top favorites for the title early on.
At the end of last season, however, the team collapsed and lost five of the following six games - including in the first playoff round, against the Cleveland Browns.
Break at the Steelers
Since then, the Steelers have been in a state of upheaval.
A total of 19 contracts expired after last season, including those of passport recipient Juju Smith-Schuster and linebacker Bud Dupree.
Due to the upper salary limit, the team had little financial leeway to extend their contract.
This was also due to Roethlisberger's high earnings, which his team is now accommodating.
The Steelers even reduced the so-called cap hit by an agreement with Roethlisberger by 15 million dollars.
The cap hit describes the impact of the contract on the team's salary cap.
Through various guaranteed and optional payments, teams can construct their players' contracts in such a way that the influence on the team budget is spread over the contract years.
At Roethlisberger, the Steelers distribute the cap hit over the coming year, in which Roethlisberger could already have ended his career.
In that case, the old star would still charge the upper salary limit with more than ten million dollars.
In the coming season, the teams are also likely to have less money available than in previous years.
This is because the salary cap is based on the league's income.
The financial corona losses must therefore be taken into account in the squad planning.
That's why the pressure on the Steelers for a new contract for their quarterback was all the greater.
Roethlisberger would have cost his team huge sums
In relation to the team budget, if Roethlisberger had stayed at the original conditions, it would have cost the team 41.25 million dollars - more than a fifth of the salary cap of the previous season.
That's why the Steelers had already announced after the disappointing playoff-off that they would not go into another season with Roethlisberger under these conditions.
With the amendment of the contract, both sides want to start another attack in the direction of the Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger goes "all in" for a third Super Bowl ring.
He will probably not get another chance.
It happens again and again that aging quarterbacks adjust their high-value contracts in order to create financial leeway for fellow players.
The NFL legend Peyton Manning had his salary cut before the 2015 season - and then won the title with the Denver Broncos.
Tom Brady also waived millions with the New England Patriots for years to keep his team competitive.
Roethlisberger was selected in the first round by the Steelers in 2004 and has since developed into a superstar.
In 2006 and 2008 the team won the Super Bowl, and Roethlisberger made it into the Pro Bowl six times.
In his career, however, Roethlisberger had to struggle with injuries again and again.
However, this did not detract from his level of awareness.
Roethlisberger was even hired with some teammates for the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises," in which he played Gotham's quarterback.
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hba / sid / AP