Reading the Rooney statement again.
I still think there's work to be done. If they intended to just spread it out it would have already happened. The Steelers are going to ask Ben to take a pay cut outright with no future years cap hit. Ben & his agent are going to push for that $19M to be spread over future years.
If Rooney were willing to pay Roethlisberger 19M guaranteed this season, then it would take about 5 minutes to hammer out the details of that deal.
Rooney will push for a cut. Whether it's a cut no matter what or it's converting some of the roster bonus to a signing bonus and some to performance bonuses is the question, as is whether Ben will take anything less than the 19M guaranteed.
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If it were me, as an owner, and I wanted (a) to give him a chance at another year, (b) given him a guaranteed pay cut, and (c) allow him to save face in some measure, then I suppose my only offer would be something like this:
Signing Bonus - 9M
2021 Salary - 3M
3/1/22 Roster Bonus - 7M
2022 Salary - 15M
2023 Salary - 15M
Annual Performance Incentives- 13M
(only a tiny amount to earn based on individual play, mostly on total offensive performance, turnovers, wins, and especially playoff wins . . . maybe 3M for win superbowl, 3M for win AFC championship, 3M for reach AFC championship, and then the other 4M a mix of easier and not easy to attain regular season individual and team variables)
From an owners' perspective, that means Ben's 2021 cap hit is 6M and his guaranteed salary is 12M. If the Steelers reach the AFC championship, ONLY THEN does he hit the 19M. They go further, he makes more than 19M.
So, as an owner, you're saying 'okay, put your money where your mouth is and I'll do the same'.
It's a win-win-win for Rooney . . . Ben kills it, he wins. Ben sucks, then it's a 6M cap hit this year and only has 6M dead cap next year. Ben says NO, then he's got the high ground (after all, he offered to convert this last year to a 3 year, 49M deal with another 13M in annual incentives and it would be Ben who said NO).
This isn’t a defense of Tomlin and I know people hate to hear it, but the fact still is that he hasn’t had a losing season. And that includes a season with Rudolph and Duck as his starters. This is also a guy who’s won games with Mike Vick, Dennis Dixon, And Landry Jones.
In no way do I think they’re going to compete or even make the playoffs, but Ben is still going to have his moments and do enough to make us completely mediocre.
Wake me up when Tomlin's defense doesn't get shredded in the playoffs. His pedigree as a 1 year DC was coaching the worst pass defense in football, and that one sure rears it's ugly head when the games matter most.