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The Big Ben saga on whether he'll return and play for an 18th season with the Steelers appears to be coming to a conclusion, and it's in the favor of the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network, Roethlisberger's agent, Ryan Tollner, said Roethlisberger will be back with the team in 2021.
"They want Ben back and will contact me soon to address his cap situation," Tollner told Kinkhabwala. "As we've shared since the season ended, we are happy to creatively adjust his contract to help them build the best team possible. A year ago, Ben wasn't sure if he could throw again, but he battled back to get 12 wins and the eighth division title of his career. They lost steam down the stretch and that doesn't sit well for him, so the fire burns so strong and there is plenty of gas in the tank."
Earlier today, Roethlisberger met with Art Rooney II and the meeting "went well," according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
While Tollner says Roethlisberger will be back for an 18th season, Dulac states that more meetings and discussions have to take place before that decision is made.
The Steelers have until the third day of the new league year, which begins on March 17 to figure out what they want to do with Roethlisberger, as he's due a $15 million roster bonus on March 19.
Ed Bouchette of The Athletic expects an answer within the next week on whether the Steelers are moving on from Roethlisberger or not. Last month, Bouchette said Roethlisberger told him through a text that he doesn't care how much he makes this year and is willing to do whatever he can to help the team cap-wise.
Dulac confirmed with Tolner that the Steelers want Roethlisberger back in 2021. Dulac also stated that Tolner and Roethlisberger are opening to reworking his contract to free up some much-needed cap space.
A decision with Roethlisberger and the Steelers will be resolved in the next few weeks, when that exactly will be is anyone's guess. However, the latest reports are encouraging that Roethlisberger will be back for another year as the Steelers' signal-caller.