JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 22: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 22, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to free up a ton of cap space by giving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a restructured contract.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the offseason with a bit of uncertainty. They had 18 players hitting unrestricted free agency and were significantly over the salary cap threshold. That was mostly due to the contract of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had a $41.3 million cap hit for the 2021 season. The two sides were able to come together to lessen his hit on a restructured contract, but what is Pittsburgh’s cap situation after the fact?
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Roethlisberger now accounts for $25.9 million against the cap, leaving the Steelers just $297,911 over the threshold.
After Ben Roethlisberger’s restructure, the Steelers could still free up additional cap space
Even after reworking Roethlisberger’s deal, they still have a ways to go to free up enough money to either retain key players or bring in some new faces.
The Steelers can free up additional cap space by cutting players like cornerback Joe Haden and linebacker Vince Williams. Cutting ties with Haden frees up $7 million in cap space, but the veteran defensive back has insisted on social media that he will not be released by the Steelers. As for Williams, the Steelers would gain $4 million in cap space by cutting him.
That, and the Steelers could create additional space by restructuring contracts or signing players to contract extensions. If general manager Kevin Colbert wanted to study how to gain spending money, he should study the move New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has done this offseason. He is slowly but surely clawing the Saints out of cap hell as we speak! The Steelers need to make similar moves, especially if they want to re-sign free agents like wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, linebacker Bud Dupree or offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva.
Giving Roethlisberger a new contract was a huge first step to gain some spending money, but there is still plenty of work to be done heading into the start of the new league year on March 17.