4 quarterback situations that are worse than the Panthers
By Dean Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers
Father time might just be catching up with Ben Roethlisberger. The legendary signal-caller had an up and down 2020 campaign that eventually ended with a disappointing playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns and it doesn’t appear to be a lock that he’ll be back with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.
Owner Art Rooney has gone public with his status surrounding Roethlisberger’s current deal, which comes with an eye-popping $41.25 million cap hit on the final year of his deal. The powers that be want the future Pro Football Hall of Famer to take a significant pay decrease to stick around next season, with the player speaking openly about money not mattering to him at this stage of his career.
Even if Roethlisberger does end up on the Steelers in 2021, a long-term solution needs to be sought at the earliest possible opportunity. Whether this is done by finding a development prospect in the NFL Draft or not remains to be seen, with a move for Deshaun Watson also not ruled out entirely.
The Carolina Panthers appear stuck with Teddy Bridgewater until 2022 when there is a realistic out on his contact, unless they can trade him. Pittsburgh is in a similar boat with Roethlisberger, but they could save around $19 million by releasing the quarterback if a common ground cannot be found in the coming weeks.