Steelers, Roethlisberger Agree On Contract Extension

PITTSBURGH, PA - Fifteen years to the day after the Steelers selected him with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft, the team signed the quarterback to a contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

The two-year extension, added on to the final year of his current pact, keeps Roethlisberger on the Steelers through the 2021 season and hints to his probable retirement when the contract expires.

“I am pleased to announce Ben Roethlisberger has been signed to a new three-year contract,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Ben is one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, and he continued to climb the lists among the all-time passing leaders in the League last season. But I know Ben’s focus is on only one goal – to bring another Lombardi trophy back to Pittsburgh. We are excited to finalize this new contract that will keep him as a Steeler through the 2021 season."

The Steelers had been working to finalize the extension before the start of this year's draft, which begins Thursday.

Roethlisberger eclipsed the 5,000 yard passing mark for the first time in his career in 2018, completing 452 passes for 5,129 yards, which led the NFL, and 34 touchdowns. Roethlisberger became just one of seven quarterbacks to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. He also threw for
250 yards and a touchdown in 15 of the Steelers 16 games, and did it in each of the team’s first 13 games, a franchise record for consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards and a touchdown pass.

“I am grateful to the Rooneys and the Steelers organization for continuing to believe in me,” Roethlisberger said. “It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh. This is home for me and my family, and we love this city. I am as excited to be a Steeler in year 16 as I was when they drafted me. They will get my absolute best.”