Before Sunday’s game against Buffalo, Ian Rapoport reported that, according to team sources, Ben Roethlisberger was discontent with the offense and may seek a trade in the offseason.
While the authenticity of Rapoport’s sources has been widely questioned, most of Pittsburgh -fans and media alike- have tried to immediately quash any thoughts that the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback would be dealt in the offseason.
But if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, cap strapped and stuck in last place in the AFC North, why wouldn’t you entertain offers in the offseason?
According to Overthecap.com, Ben Roethlisberger’s cap hit is $13.595 million and the Steelers as a whole, have $2.136 million remaining in cap space. If the Steelers were to head into the 2014 NFL Draft, they would only be able to afford their first round pick, assuming they picked somewhere in the middle of the round.
Obviously, they’ll find a way to expand that cap space, but they also have Ryan Clark, Emmanuel Sanders, Jason Worilds, Jerricho Cotchery, and Ziggy Hood up for free agency at the end of the year. Clark doesn’t have a replacement at this point since Shamarko Thomas hasn’t proved he can be a starter, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery make up half the receiving corps, and Jason Worilds has outplayed Jarvis Jones this season. You could argue that all of them should be allowed to walk at the end of the year, but the Steelers don’t have anyone to replace them.
It pains me to say this, but the Steelers ARE in rebuilding mode. Their defense has been mediocre thanks in large part to the inability to stop the run, and the offense has been worse than usual. They aren’t one or two players away from being contenders, they’re five or six or seven players away.
So how would trading Ben Roethlisberger help the Steelers?
For one, it would clear up a ton of cap space, giving the Steelers room they desperately need to sign draft picks, extend younger players, and sign a free agent or two that could actually make an impact.
Secondly, you would probably get a pretty good return for a Super Bowl quarterback who is still in his early 30’s. The Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals both need a quarterback and they would likely give up multiple picks, including first rounders, for a player of Big Ben’s caliber.
With the extra draft picks, the Steelers can afford to get a quarterback, a tackle, and multiple players on defense. Of course, changes to the front office and coaching staff would also need to be made so the picks can be used effectively. It’s a forgone conclusion that Kevin Colbert’s drafts have been terrible since 2007 and I doubt the Rooneys would want to take a chance on putting this team further behind the eight ball.
“But the Steelers won’t be a playoff team with a bunch of rookies replacing a legend!”
Agreed. But the Steelers in their current state are going to get worse before they get better. Just because a quarterback has won two Super Bowls doesn’t mean he’ll win another. Roethlisberger has proved that he needs a solid defense to bring a team to the promise land. But as he progresses towards the twilight of his career, the Steelers are trending downward. He’s simply a luxury this team cannot afford to have at this point.
What would you rather have? Ben Roethlisberger with a subpar defense and an offense that pushes him closer to retirement with every hit he takes (on pace to be sacked 60 times), or a team with a strong defense and a young offense that can maybe build a running game behind a few solid draft picks at wide receiver and offensive tackle? Before you answer, allow me to point to the team in Seattle that is currently 9-1 with a quarterback that is making $390k and nowhere near the talent of Ben.
Ben Roethlisberger might have said he loves Pittsburgh and wants to stay here until he retires. But with a bad offensive line, a lack of offensive weapons, and an offensive coordinator he doesn’t like, does he really want to stay here?
It looks like Ben will be a Steeler until he decides to hang it up. But if this team continues to struggle and loses double-digit games, it’s hard to believe the Steelers won’t make some big moves in the offseason.
And that’s OK.
Photo courtesy of Football Perspective
