The Pittsburgh Steelers are closing in on an extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that the Steelers and the QB have made significant progress on an extension that will make him, once again, one of the highest paid players in the NFL, per a source informed of the situation.
The sides are in the final stages of talks, per Rapoport, and appear set to meet the self-imposed goal of hammering out an extension before the 2019 NFL Draft opens Thursday in Nashville.
Big Ben is currently heading into the final season of a four-year, $87.6 million extension he signed in 2015. Since that deal was done, Roethlisberger's contract figure has been leapfrogged by a plethora of other QBs. The Steelers QB currently sits as the 13th highest-paid signal caller in the NFL in terms of annual average salary.
Any new extension might not vault Roethlisberger past Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, but should put him back closer to the top than the middle of starting QB contracts.
Rapoport noted on NFL Network's Good Morning Football that Big Ben's extension could be shorter, given the 37-year-old's age, but would ensure the quarterback plays his entire NFL career in Pittsburgh.
