Tag Archives: Ben Roethlisberger

steelers contracts

Steelers Actively Negotiating A Roethlisberger Extension

Leave a reply

Ben Roethlisberger’s agent, Ryan Tollner, says that contract negotiations have been ongoing between the Steelers and Roethlisberger’s camp. In an interview with ESPN, the Rep1Sports agent said, “There’s been ongoing (contract) discussions for quite awhile…I think from the time we did the first extension there was sort of a plan moving forward.” He went on to say, “There’s a plan in place, but both sides are pretty committed to doing that privately and not having it be something that’s discussed in the media.”

It seems that lately many have forgotten how the Steelers do business. Quietly. Privately. Out of the spotlight. So often people leap to believe rumors about an organization so notoriously tight lipped.

It doesn’t seem like that long ago when Ian Rapoport was reporting a trade was in Ben’s future, even when Ben insisted he wanted to stay in Pittsbugh and retire a Steeler. General Manager Kevin Colbert and Art Rooney II also emphatically asserted that having him retire in Pittsburgh was a priority. Colbert went as far as to say, “It’s unanimous that we want Ben to be a Steeler for the rest of his career.”

While extending Roethlisberger could easily reduce his 2014 cap number of $18.895 Mil by $4 Mil or more, doing so isn’t nearly as urgent as it seemed just a couple months ago. With the 2014 salary cap being considerably higher than what was projected, and LaMarr Woodley’s $8 Mil base salary coming off the books after June 1st, the team can afford to take their time working on an extension with their franchise quarterback.

While many believe that Ben is going demand/get “Flacco money”, I don’t believe it’s the likely scenario. His agent will surely want to hit that $20 Mil/year magic number, but the contract can (and should likely) be structured to average in the range of $17.5-$18 Mil/year. New money being what’s most important, a 4 year extension in the neighborhood of $80 Mil would satisfy that $20 Mil/year average, but including the last 2 years of his existing contract, you’re looking at the lower average mentioned above.

Since there is no real rush to extend Ben Roethlisberger, don’t expect to hear any news soon. While they certainly could reach a deal this summer, it may well be that they wait until next spring to finalize an extension.

Ben And Ashley Roethlisberger Announce Birth Of Daughter Today

Leave a reply

Ben Roethlisberger and his wife Ashley welcomed their second child into the world this morning. The couple announced the birth of their daughter, Baylee Marie, via the quarterback’s official website and Twitter account.

“She weighed in at 6lbs, 12 oz and is 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great!”, the family posted on Ben’s website.

[Audio] Big Ben Wouldn’t Return Antonio Brown’s Calls For A Week

Leave a reply

During part of Antonio Brown’s ESPN rounds yesterday, he made an appearance on Dan Le Batard’s Highly Questionable. He discussed being a toe away from the playoffs, his angriest moments of the season, his kids, and other topics.

The interview was very light-hearted, but when asked when he was the angriest at a coach or teammate, AB said, “Probably the last game of the season.”

“I was in tune with breaking Hines Ward’s record for 2 more catches, so I think my attitude with getting the ball was a little bit more, my frustration with getting the ball when I was open, was a little more different than the other games when I was able to control that mentality, and able to work poise under pressure.”

When asked if he thought that was selfish, he said, “I feel I was selfish. I’ve got a great QB. He loves me- we got a great relationship.

“When they see that attitude, and that selfishness, it draws guys away from you. Ben didn’t answer my phone calls for about a week. I was calling my quarterback, calling Ben from Hawaii…but, my attitude was so bad from that last game that he didn’t want to deal with me.”

Brown joked about sending Ben some fist emojis to get him to respond.  After about a week, the QB got back with him, according to Brown.  “[Ben said] I don’t want to talk to you when you’re like that. You know, you’re not infectious and contagious, when you’re attitude is like that, I don’t want my son to root for you.” Brown said that’s what got to him the most, and made him realize he needed to work on that for next season.

You can listen to the interview below.

[Audio] Ben Roethlisberger Hopes Cotchery Re-Signing Doesn’t Take Much Longer

Leave a reply

Ben was on 93.7 The Fan this afternoon to talk about his foundation’s donation to the Pittsburgh Police. He also fielded questions about Michael Sam and gay players in the NFL, Ryan Clark’s comments on marijuana, FA receivers, coaching changes, and more.

On the possibility of marijuana being allowed by the league, Ben said, “I’m here to play ball, not to mess with that stuff.”

Ben was asked if he hoped Cotchery would be back. “Absolutely. I hope it’s not going to be much longer. I would love for J-Co to be back. He’s a security blanket for me, especially in the redzone.”

The conversation eventually shifted towards the recent changes on the Steelers coaching staff. Roethlisberger says that the offensive linemen are excited to work with Munchak. “Anytime you have a hall of famer coaching you, you’d better listen up.”

You can listen to the interview below:

Ben Roethlisberger Foundation To Buy New Dog For Pittsburgh Police

Leave a reply

The Ben Roethlisbeger Foundation will purchase a new police dog for Pittsburgh Police according to a news release issued tonight. The purchase wasn’t planned, but Roethlisberger felt compelled after Rocco, a German shepherd in the K-9 unit, died last month after he was stabbed by a suspect.

“This last week, a K-9 officer named Rocco was killed in my current hometown of Pittsburgh. After talking with officer Phil Lerza and getting his blessing, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation would like to announce that we are going to get Officer Lerza a new dog. Rocco can never be replaced, but we only hope to help with the healing process and to provide Officer Lerza with another loyal partner,” Ben said in the release.

Thousands mourned the loss of the K-9 officer, and the city mayor ordered the flags to be at half mast the day after his death.

The Ben Roethlisbeger Foundation began in 2006. It’s main purpose is to provide police and service dogs to police and fire departments across the US.

Ben Roethlisberger Getting Head Start On Chemistry With Moye, Wheaton

Leave a reply

Big Ben is already getting some early work in with his young receiving corps. Both Derek Moye and Markus Wheaton are getting reps with Ben out in Orange County, California. Specifically, I would imagine they’re in Irvine, CA, as that’s where Ben’s representation agency is located. Photographers and videographers are on site, and the workouts are in conjunction with Rep1Sports, so Irvine is a safe assumption, though other agencies have players there, so anywhere in Orange County is a possibility I suppose.

If you follow my Twitter account (@TheSteelersFans) or visit the site often, you’ll likely have seen these tweets from yesterday and today.

 

 

Nestler and other coaches were on the scene yesterday to participate in the workouts. Markus Wheaton, Derek Moye, and other draft prospects who are training for the combine were there as well. UCLA WR Shaq Evans is one receiver who I know to be signed with that agency, so perhaps he was there. Coincidentally, Blake Bortles who draws Big Ben comparisons, is represented by them, too. Who else might be there would just be a guess.

The news of Moye and Wheaton getting early reps with with Ben should come as a nice surprise. This extra time should pay dividends in the spring, summer, and hopefully the fall.

 

Big Ben On Being Cerebral And The No Huddle

Leave a reply

Steelers fans everywhere know how successful Ben Roethlisberger was running the no-huddle offense during the latter part of the 2013 season. Ben spoke with Mike Prisuta of the steelers website about running the no-huddle offense, and about playing cerebral football.

On the no huddle, Ben concedes that it promotes getting the ball out faster. “I would agree with that because when I’m calling the plays, I can call it off what the defense is giving us. So it’s kind of that chess match I’ve talked about before with coordinators, where if Coach Haley calls a play, he doesn’t know what the defense is going to give us.” Roethlisberger went on to say, “The defense doesn’t know what play we’re going to call. When I’m out there, I can actually see what the defense is giving us, and I can change the play or call a play that I think is best to work against that specific defense. In that sense, yes, usually the ball will come out quicker because I’ve kind of predetermined where I’m going to go with the ball because I’ve called the play off a specific defense.”

Clearly it works, and Ben’s been wanting to run it for some time. At least as far back as 2011 when Bruce Arians was still the offensive coordinator.

Ben also says he can play cerebral football, too.

“I think so. There are still times that I make mistakes calling a play where I call the wrong play or guess wrong or they guess right and it doesn’t look so good. I’d like to think I get us in the best play possible most of the time. It’s more than just me. I’ve got to give credit to the coaches and the other quarterbacks, because so much of the no-huddle is done on the sidelines. We’re talking about so many things and the players are coming up and talking to me about plays that they like, whether it’s Heath or Jerricho, guys who are really on the interior part of it. It’s more than just me. It’s all of us and just being able to use the things that they give me on the field to make us all better.”

[Video] Interview With Ben Roethlisberger In Ohio Today

Leave a reply

Ben Roethlisberger was at Elida High School in Elida, OH today to attend his father’s induction into the high school’s athletic hall of fame. Ben’s father Ken graduated from the school in 1974. During his time there, he won accolades for his performances in football, basketball, and baseball.

While there, Ben gave a quick interview. You can see Ben’s interview at Elida high school from earlier today below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJOms65aDoo

Contrary To Reports, Ben Roethlisberger Likely To Be Extended This Year

Leave a reply

Stories are being spun out about Ben Roethlisberger not getting extended this year, or possibly even next, after Art Rooney II met with reporters yesterday. Here’s what Mr. Rooney had to say about the possibility of extending Ben this off-season:

“It’s not set in stone. We’ve done it in the past on a couple of occasions, but it’s not necessarily something that’s automatic. I believe we’ll get something done when it’s appropriate for both sides. I think Ben knows that it’s our intention to have him here beyond his current contract, whenever we get [an extension] done.” He added, “The only thing I would say about Ben and his situation is I certainly expect that at some point we will do a contract, whether it’s this season, or after next season, or after the season after that, but I think Ben will be playing here beyond the current contract.”

That’s it. Pretty innocuous, right? I’m not sure how national reporters or even Steelers bloggers are coming to the conclusion that he won’t be extended based on that. It should come as no surprise that Mr. Rooney’s interview responses are going to be guarded and non-committal. What would he have to gain from publicly divulging the organization’s specific contract intentions?

The fact of the matter is that the Steelers don’t have a whole lot of options frankly. The 2014 salary cap situation is such that a big part of the Steelers off season plans are likely going to center, in part, around extending Big Ben to reduce his 2014 salary cap hit.  By extending Ben Roethlisberger during this off-season, the Steelers could easily reduce his 2014 cap hit of $18,895,000 by 4 or 5 million dollars. Furthermore, Art II flat out said, “We’ve got to have Ben retire as a Steeler…there’s no doubt about that.”

As with most things, nothing in the NFL is certain, but I would be pretty surprised if they don’t announce that they’ve agreed on an extension with him in the coming months.

Ben Roethlisberger Is Steelers Walter Payton Man Of The Year

Leave a reply

The Steelers have named Ben Roethlisberger the Steelers Walter Payton Man of the Year for his contributions on and off the field. Each team awards and nominates one player, and a NFL panel awards one of the finalists with the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year honor. The winner receives a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

In 2006, Big Ben founded the Ben Roethlisberger foundation. The charitable foundation has since given over $1,000,000 in grants to various police, fire, and EMS organizations.  Ben is also actively involved with Make A Wish and the Boys and Girls Club.

Ryan Clark was Steelers WPMOTY last year, Brett Keisel in 2011, and Troy Polamalu the year before that. The only Steeler to receive the award from the league in the last 20 years is Jerome Bettis.