Time to Trade Big Ben?

I'm gonna ask a question but first must lay down some real world facts, not to influence the question either way but to have a more realistic viewpoint.

Ben turns 32 in March but in football years due to his pounding and injurys he's much older.
Ben has two years left on his current contract=
-We are already at 129mil in contract for 40 players in 2014 which is projected to be 125 mil, we're over and have more to sign, 13 for final roster, plus camp guys and in-season operating fund.
-Ben will make 12.1 mil in 14' (17 mil cap charge) and only 11.6 mil in 15'
-Ben ( & his agent ) will want an extension that'll put him in the 20mil/yr range in line with his contemporaries like Brees, Flacco, Ryan, Rogers. Heck, Romo making 18plus/ yr I think.
Ben knows NOW is the time to get the big money extension, waiting two years will most likely jeopardize that.
Ben trade value is as high as its gonna get.

Question: If, say the Cardinals, came calling with an offer of something like a 1st & 3rd this year and a 2nd & 4th next year would you make that deal? ( Yes steelerglenn, we know the trade deadline is gone and must be done in march,13' when the new year begins. )

Remember, we'd have an immediate 17 mil dollar savings on our cap as it would transferr to the cards, we'd have 2 top 1st rd picks one maybe top ten and the other in the teens plus a high 3rd rd pick ( we don't have a 3rd rd pick this year. ) Next year we'd have a 1st and two 2nd rd picks a 3rd and two 4th rd picks.

Would you make this trade or stand put?

Cajun-

 

the cap relief is not 17 milion but 5 because we restructured him and we would have 12milion in dead money . iw ould trade him if comes an otreageus offert , like 2 first and 2 second and a third

 

That is about how I see it. The payment would have to be HUGE! Something that when you looked at the deal you looked at the offer and said, we would be STUPID not to trade him.

Personally, I don't think we extend him this summer.

 

Upon further thought, not research, you may be partially right. We may very well not have a 17 mil $ savings but it MUST be more than 5 since his base salary is 12 mil and his prorated bonus is 5. I don't think we'd be hit with dead money if he's traded unlike being cut/waived.

Help from capologist is needed.

Cajun-

 

Not being sarcastic but inquisitive, How? Why are we charged a dead money if traded? I've read a couple different places like BR and the post I think that had him @ 17 cap charge. They had his base @ 12.1 in 14' & 11.6 in 15'.

Where's Spottrac stance on Ben's contract?

Cajun-

 

No unless we get get at least 2 first round picks one from each year, 2 2nd round picks from this year and maybe 2 years down the road and also a 4th or 5th pick. No team is going to give that up because imagine going potentially two years in a row without a 1st and 2nd round pick. Or at least 2 first round picks.

 

Can these just please stop?
Ben isnt going anywhere

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...steelers-trading-ben-roethlisberger-next-year


I read a lot of the stuff coming out last week but didn't get into much of the conversation here due to a busy week. The article above is what got me to thinking could Ben "Really" be traded and what would it take. I started this thread not suggesting we do or don't do it but to gauge SteelerNations opinion on this subject and it's viability.

Cajun-

 

This team rarely, if ever, makes big lineup changes like that.
A move like that would also mean a spending spree for free agents, again rarely if ever.

 

I'm glad this was finally posted! There haven't been enough discussions about Ben and his future with this team.

 

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/1...rt-about-steelers-trading-ben-roethlisberger/

 

Thanks Freak, I visit SD everyday and somehow missed that article. Maybe I'm not getting it, I know about pre and post june 1st cuts and their effects on the cap, I need to learn more about how trades affect the cap, anybody got any good sources for this?

Cajun-

 

I would make the deal if:

Landry Jones can manage the team and we don't have any dead money against us.

 

Only if Bill Bidwell channels the ghost of Al Davis and gives us 2 or 3 first round draft picks will I even consider it. BUT...if a team is willing to offer multiple, high round (1st and 2nd) draft picks I think the Steelers as an act of jurisprudence would need to at least consider it. If we did, we'd have to aggressively pursue a franchise quarterback in the next draft which is pretty abundant in quarterback talent. I think the Steelers drought between Bradshaw and Ben occurred primarily because we didn't pursue top flight QBs aggressively enough and tried to take 3rd round talent and turn it into franchise gold. What we ended up with were quarterbacks that could manage a game but couldn't win a game and we don't want to go back there!

 

The only reason I would consider it and to add to my other post is because we need to rebuild this team. We have three players in the secondary that are over 30. We don't have an oline. We need another WR over 6 foot. And we lack depth.

I look at the Ravens and what they gave Flacco. Now the rest of the team is lacking players because they can't afford to sign or keep players.

Now, look at Seattle. They have a good quarterback they got through the draft and was able to build that team around him with good quality players.

I know you take a chance with drafting players but we are also so cap tight that we can't sign players that could help us in certain areas. Risk versus reward.

 

the dead money is only for one season(and you still save 5 milion) then you have 20 milion free for the remainder seasons
the problem is the ben's replacement ..big problem

 

Don't want to trade Ben, rather let him play out his contract so we get 2 more years out of him. Let someone else pay him $20M a year at age 34 - 39. That will also give us this year or next to draft his replacement. Gonna have to sooner or later...

 

that's what i would do too

 

To answer the OP's question ... NO, not until we find out how much Ben's camp is looking to get once the season is over.

 

This right here.

I have no idea what Ben Roethlisberger is thinking, but the market has been set and its pretty cut and dry. About $20M/yr. Hopefully he will follow the Brady path and accept less in order to field a more competitive team and take in the 14-18 range. If not, then you've got to pay him 20. Period. He's your best player and he's worth it. However, if he is looking for more then I would start to explore trade offers.

Again, I do not know what Ben's thoughts are, but I would be willing to bet that he's not going to be demanding north of 20. By all accounts he's ultra competitive. Ron Cook calls him the most competitive player that he's ever seen. And he's also not stupid. He knows that the more he takes, the less there is for everyone else. My guess is that they reach an agreement on a long term extension that will take him to the end of his days in Pittsburgh. Something in the 14-20 range.

 

Ben has already collected more on this contract than any other Qb or player if I'm not mistaken. he's set for life. I also believe that he will be reasonable because of his wife's roots in the Burgh and I believe he really want to retire a Steeler. I just wish all this trade talk would go away during the season. We will be plenty bored in the offseason to drum up this type of speculation, like every year.

 

To the original thread question, not only no, but hell no. Ben can get us to the playoffs with this line, doubtful any replacement could.

We need Ben for at least 5 more seasons. Three more until we can draft Christian Hackenberg and 2 for him to mature as a NFL QB. Barring injury, Landry Jones will never start for the Steelers.