Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has a new contract extension, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger, who turned 37 in March, signs a three-year contract through the 2021 season.
The Steelers QB had one year left on his current 4-year, $87.6 million deal he signed in 2015.
The new deal will most likely mean that he will retire with the same team that drafted him in 2004.
He was due $12 million in base salary this upcoming season, and has already earned a $5 million roster as of March 15th.
The extension, which adds on to the final year of his current deal, is for 2 years at $63 million with a $37.5 million signing bonus, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Last season Roethlisberger set the Steelers record for passing yards (5,129) and TD’s (34).
For the Steelers, Roethlisberger’s extension secures their QB’s future, while allowing potential successor Mason Rudolph further time to develop.
The organization believes Roethlisberger can continue to sustain his level of play for a least the next three seasons (including this year’s), meaning there is no rush to Rudolph’s development.
Furthermore, the QB prospects in the draft for the next couple of years don’t appear to be enticing.
The Steelers may not feel comfortable drafting Roethlisberger’s replacement and will look to move forward with what they have.
Roethlisberger won’t have Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell with any longer as JuJu Smith-Schuster now becomes the number one receiver with James Conner now becoming the featured back.
The offense surrounding the QB will look much different going into his 16th season than in years past given this off-season’s changes.
For now, Roethlisberger and the Steelers virtually assure that the QB will retire as a Steeler as they look forward to the 2019 season.