The offseason is the time when NFL teams have to deal with the reality of the salary cap. And for the Steelers, there are some interesting issues moving into the 2018 offseason that certainly have to be addressed.
Steelers president Art Rooney II Wednesday addressed some of the team’s current concerns in those regards in terms of upcoming dealings with Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell while also shedding some light on what possibilities lie with the money the team owes injured linebacker Ryan Shazier.
Roethlisberger has said he wants to return for three more seasons and Rooney is, as expected, happy about that. What that means for the Steelers in the short and long term is that they don’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback this year.
But, it also means they have to think about a contract extension with a 35-year-old quarterback who has two years remaining on his current deal.
“It’s good news and I hope we have the problem of having to extend his contract,” Rooney said. “We haven’t had a long conversation about that, other than having him saying he is interested in playing beyond this contract. That’s good news to me. Certainly his play this year makes you feel he does have a few years left. In terms of the contract, we’ll address that at the right time. The bottom line, we’re excited that’s the way he feels. We look forward to continuing to work with him and get a couple of more rings for him.”
Roethlisberger is scheduled to count $23.2 million against the team’s salary cap in 2018 as part of a four-year, $87.4 million extension he signed in 2015. He has that same cap hit in 2019, with base salary payouts of $12 million for each season.
In the past, the Steelers have typically extended their star quarterback with two seasons remaining on his deal — though they waited until he had one year remaining for the last one — but the team could choose to extend Roethlisberger this offseason in an effort to create some extra cap space.
“There really isn’t a set formula for it, particularly when dealing with somebody at this stage of his career,” Rooney admitted. “I’m not sure we’ve ever dealt with a quarterback we’re extending at this age, so there’s no precedent with where we are. Look, we have a great relationship with Ben. We’ll talk through things. The important thing is he wants to be here and he wants to continue beyond the contract. That’s great.”
The Steelers could use the extra cap space given their situation with Bell, who played for the running backs franchise tag salary of $12.1 million in 2017. Despite not reporting to the team until the week before the regular season began, Bell finished second in the league in total yards and earned All-Pro status.
But if the Steelers want to keep him from reaching free agency again this offseason, they will have to work out a long-term contract or place the franchise tag on him again at a cost of $14.5 million.
The team is currently estimated to be just under $3 million under the 2018 estimated salary cap — which won’t be officially set for at least three more weeks. But it also has approximately $4 million in cap space it can roll over from this season.
Either way, moves would have to be made to fit Bell under the 2018 cap.
“We’d like to have a long-term contract with Le’Veon,” Rooney said. “That’s what we hope happens this offseason.”
Bell reportedly turned down a deal last offseason that would have paid him $60 million over five seasons, including $30 million in the first two seasons and $42 million after three. The team would have made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. But the running back said last week in Minneapolis while at the Super Bowl that the guaranteed money in that deal was a sticking point.
Bell also told ESPN in January that he would consider retirement or sitting out the entire 2018 season if the Steelers place the franchise tag on him again this year.
Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension during the 2017 season that made him the league’s second-highest paid running back behind Bell.
“With every signing we do, we look at the facts,” Rooney said. “The player will do the same. The bottom line is, can you come together and have a meeting of the minds? That’s what we’re going to work on.
“It’s hard for me to predict these things. Normally, they come down to the last minute. I’ve learned not to predict. … The good news is both sides want to get something done and I think that will lead to getting it done.”
Another issue for the Steelers and their 2018 salary cap space is the situation with Shazier. While the news regarding Shazier’s recovery from a spinal injury suffered Dec. 4 at Cincinnati has been positive, there’s little chance he plays football in 2018, if ever again.
The Steelers, however, picked up the fifth-year option on Shazier’s rookie deal prior to last season. That $8.72 million became fully guaranteed when that happened and there is no salary cap relief for the team from that amount.
“There’s no real protection as far as the salary cap,” Rooney said. “There are player protections, injury provisions in the CBA that apply to players on all different situations. Those kinds of things are there. That’s part of the equation of any NFL contract.”
