Steelers Owner Art Rooney II Addresses Roethlisberger's Return

PITTSBURGH, PA — Steelers owner Art Rooney II on Wednesday indicated he wants veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to return for the final year of his contract, but that the contract will have to be re-worked.

"Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting," Rooney said in a statement released by the team. "We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go. Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that would would like to have him back to help us win a championship.

"We both understand that the next step is to work out Ben's contract situation."

Rooney previously has contended that Roethlisberger's exorbitant contract and its impact on the Steelers salary cap could make a return difficult. He indicated that Roethlisberger's $41.2 million salary cap hit was too great for the team to absorb since the cap is being reduced because of
the coronavirus outbreak.

Roethlisberger's contract situation needs to be resolved in the next several weeks, as he is scheduled to earn a $15 million roster bonus on March 19.