Play.
Ryan Clark said it was time for Big Ben to take a seat.
Ryan Clark admits that time has caught up with Ben Roethlisberger, and that he's hurting the Pittsburgh offense as a whole. There is a time and a place for it.
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Ben Roethlisberger knew he wanted another shot after the 2020 season.
Roethlisberger knew he was ready to try for another Super Bowl run after the season-ending skid and playoff debacle against Cleveland. The Steelers decided they wanted that, but not at Roethlisberger's cap hit.
In March, the two sides came to a deal, which will free up 15 million dollars in cap space for the 2021 season.
Art Rooney II, the team CEO and President, said in August that there was a possibility of Roethlisberger playing beyond the 2021 season.
Rooney told a small group of reporters that this is not the last year for him. We're aware that this could be Ben's last year. We hope it's great. We can go with it right now. If this is his last year, we'll make decisions on a quarterback next year, and we'll address it as the time comes up.
According to league sources, the 39-year-old quarterback is telling former teammates and some within the organization that he expects this to be his final season. Since starting 11-0 in 2020, the Steelers are 6-8-1 in their past 15 games.
The organization tried to build a supporting cast for Roethlisberger's final run, but they didn't have a clear path forward at quarterback.
Who will be the center of attention for the Steelers? There aren't an obvious choice, but there are plenty of options.
On the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here's how the playoffs looks at the moment and what might happen in the future.
Who is currently in the playoffs?
The Playoff Machine is a program on the ESPYS.
The Football Power Index is a measure of standings.
There is only one quarterback on the roster with a contract. When he was drafted by the Steelers, they thought he had first-round talent. After Roethlisberger went down with an elbow injury, the starting job went to a former UDFA named Duck Hodges. Matt Canada was brought in to help develop Rudolph as a quarterbacks coach. Mike Sullivan was hired as the quarterbacks coach by the Steelers when Canada was elevated to offensive coordinator.
After Roethlisberger tested positive for Covid-19, Rudolph started against the Detroit Lions. After the game, Mike Tomlin said that he gave us a chance to win, but he was inconsistent and threw high. Rudolph will have the chance to compete for the job in 2022, if he stays with the organization. The Steelers have a former first-round pick on the current roster, but he couldn't beat out Rudolph for the second spot on the team. He has not played a game all season. Sullivan praised the development of Haskins, but he hasn't had the chance to show his growth in a game situation. In his only start of the preseason, he completed 9 of 16 attempts for108 yards and a touchdown, but he also had an pick-six.
The NFL draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 28.6% chance of getting a top 10 pick, according to a new projection by the sports network. The quarterback class is not good. Mac Jones is the only quarterback in the current class that stands out, but the rest of the group has experienced growing pains, and it's still much stronger than the next group. If the Steelers added a first-round quarterback, they would be setting up for a longer-term rebuild, something coach Mike Tomlin might not want to do after more than a decade of working with Roethlisberger. There is at least one option that checks all of the boxes, and it is the one that the Steelers take pride in.
The Pittsburgh native Dan Marino was let go in the 1983 draft by the Steelers, which kept them from having a solid succession plan after Terry Bradshaw. They could try to keep Pickett in town. In his fifth season at Pitt, he threw for over 4,000 yards, 40 touchdown and seven interceptions, and he was named the player of the year in the conference. His career touchdown passes are tied with Marino. It's not a sure thing that they can move up high enough to get him, but Pickett is emerging as the best option in this class.
The version of Baker Mayfield that is better is the one that has 10,078 passing yards and 91 touchdown passes to go with 1,006 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdown. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the class with a completion percentage of 68% and 20 touchdown and four interception. He had 597 yards and 11 touchdown runs.
Veteran quarterbacks.
It is not out of the question that the Steelers could make a push for a veteran quarterback. T.J. Watt, Najee Harris, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth are some of the key players that will keep the team from being rebuilt. The offensive line needs help, but the team could avoid a rebuild if it lands a veteran quarterback. The money is there for it. The voided contract carries a $10.3 million cap hit in 2022, but they are projected to have about $45 million in cap space in 2022, according to OverTheCap and Spotrac. With the new TV deals expected to push the salary cap even higher, that number could rise. If the Steelers wanted to acquire a big name, they could either do a blockbuster trade or use their draft capital and cap space to bolster the offensive and defensive lines and secondary.
Trade targets.
The amount of cap hits the PittsburghSteelers would incur if they acquired a player in a trade before or after June 1 is listed. The figures are from OverTheCap.com.
The pre-June 1 trade had a cap hit of $19.3 million, and the post-June 1 trade had a cap hit of $26.9 million.
Russell Wilson had an $11 million cap hit before June 1 and a $24 million cap hit after that.
Jimmy Garoppolo had a $25.6 million cap hit before June 1.
The Raiders had a cap hit of $19.9 million before and after June 1.
The Vikings had a cap hit of $35 million before June 1.
Deshaun's cap hit was $24.2 million before June 1 and $35 million after that.
The options have one year left on their current deals. Wilson, who is under contract through 2023, makes the most sense given his upside, cost and team's current trajectory. Wilson was unhappy prior to the season, and he would consider a trade to the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders or Bears. Wilson's season hasn't gone according to plan and he could ask for a trade, but the Seahawks eventually smoothed things over.
The Packers reworked Rodgers' deal and voided the year of his contract in 2022, making him the final year of his contract. The Packers would have to either move on from Rodgers or sign him to another extension if he carries a $46.1 million charge against the salary cap in 2022. If another team trades for him, he would get a reworked contract and new money. His team is a favorite to win the Super Bowl, and he is in the midst of another great season. Never say never. In the weeks leading up to the Packers' Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers and Tomlin smiled at each other, and the Packers' quarterback praised the other in news conferences. Rodgers talked about his admiration for Pittsburgh on the Pat McAfee Show. It's less likely that Rodgers ends up in black and gold because he seems more content than he did a few months ago.
The teams love non-QB passes.
No regrets about the draft.
There may be more targets for Edwards-Helaire.
Broncos solve their Kelce problem?
Giants focus on their stars.
When the San Francisco 49ers drafted a quarterback in the first round in May, Garoppolo became expendable. He will likely have a lower asking price than the top-tier options. Garoppolo has been average since he helped the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He had seven touchdown to five interception in the 2020 season, but this season he has 13 touchdown to six interception. Garoppolo is a prime trade target because Lance is the obvious future in San Francisco.
Two other veteran quarterbacks who have one year left on their deals are Carr and Cousins. Both the Raiders and the Vikings are at a crossroads with their quarterbacks. The Raiders and Vikings are both at a point in the season where they are about to be fired. If ownership decides to start fresh in either situation, the Steelers could make a play for either Carr orCousins.
There is a person named Watson. He hasn't played a game this season and has told the Houston Texans that he wants to be traded. He is accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior in 22 civil lawsuits. If the Texans are willing to trade him, he has a no-trade clause. There was a lot of activity before the trade deadline. There are many unknowns, including the possibility of NFL discipline pending the outcome of the league's investigation, until the civil cases are resolved.
There are free agents.
Jameis Winston is a player for the Saints.
The Bears have Andy Dalton.
Teddy Bridgewater is a Broncos player.
The most viable long-term solution for the Steelers is Winston. Prior to his injury in New Orleans, he was poised to get his career back on track. In seven appearances, the quarterback threw 14 touchdown passes and three interceptions. The team didn't make any offers to any veteran quarterbacks when they had an opportunity to sign him, but Kevin Colbert said in April 2020 that the team had an opportunity to sign him.
If a better quarterback draft class comes along, it would make sense for the starting job to go to Rudolph.
There are people who are Sleepers.
Mitchell Trubisky is with the Bills.
Heinicke is from Washington.
These options are likely to be temporary fixes, but intriguing nonetheless. Josh Allen is the backup to Trubisky in Buffalo. His best season came in the year of his second-overall pick, when he threw 24 touchdown to 12 interceptions, and he has the potential to revive his career in the right circumstance.
After Ryan Fitzpatrick went down, Heinicke became the Washington Football Team's starter. In Week 10, he helped his team overtake Tom Brady's team. He has a contract in 2022. Washington isn't likely to part with him, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
