GM Kevin Colbert: Roethlisberger Returning To Pittsburgh Not A Sure Thing

Who the starting quarterback for the Steelers will be in 2021 remains very much in doubt.

The team still has longtime veteran Ben Roethlisberger in the fold and locked up in a contract, but this deal would cripple the franchise if they cannot renegotiate and pay him a much lesser salary.

On Wednesday, team general manager Kevin Colbert didn't give strong assurance that Big Ben will return to the club as their starter in 2021.

“As we sit here today, Ben is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

“He reiterated to us that he wants to continue to play. We told him we have to look at this current situation.”

It sounds like the Steelers have taken another close look at their cap. Pittsburgh is roughly $30 million over the salary cap right now, and the team is going to have to make some very hard decisions about their future. The current deal for the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback has him making $41.25 million against the team's cap for the 2021 season.

No matter the situation, the Steelers have to start thinking about their future, and that very much could mean looking for a new QB in the draft, free agency, or their own roster.

Expect to have some sort of decision on Ben come prior to March 19th, as that's the day the Steelers would have to shell out a $15 million roster bonus to keep him on the roster.