Roethlisberger looking for an extension, and it will be huge

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, January 10, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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If any Pittsburgh Steeler earned a contract extension with his play in 2007, it was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. That means a huge payday for agent Ryan Tollner and his company, Rep 1 Sports Group. Roethlisberger's extension will likely make him Rep 1's most valuable football client.

Ryan Tollner and cousin Bruce Tollner are the driving forces behind Rep 1, and while they successfully negotiated a seven-year, $49.6 million contract for Cowboys offensive lineman Leonard Davis last offseason, Roethlisberger is poised to pass that by a comfortable margin.

Ryan Tollner has already said he and Roethlisberger intend to get an extension done this offseason, and the Steelers told them a year ago they wanted to wait until 2008 to discuss the matter.

On Tuesday, they announced they would be keeping offensive coordinator Bruce Arians around next season (despite requests for his dismissal from Steelers fans after a few questionable calls in their 31-29 playoff loss to Jacksonville). Under Arians, Roethlisberger set a team record with 32 touchdown passes, and he became the first Steelers quarterback to be selected to the Pro Bowl since Kordell Stewart in 2001.

The question, of course, is how much will it take to ink Big Ben to a long-term deal?

The easiest comparison is that of Cowboys signal-caller Tony Romo, who signed a six-year, $67 million contract a few months ago. Roughly $30 million of Romo's deal is guaranteed, and even if he guides the Cowboys to a Super Bowl championship this year, his playoff record won't match Roethlisberger's (3-1 vs. 5-2). Raiders QB and 2007 first pick overall JaMarcus Russell, a totally unproven commodity, signed a six-year, $61 million deal ($29.2 million guaranteed) after holding out most of training camp.

Ryan Tollner is sure to notice that. In comparison to quarterbacks who have actually accomplished something, though, Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck signed a six-year, $47 million contract in 2005, with $16 million guaranteed. That's likely too low for Roethlisberger, especially considering the record-setting year he had in '07.

It's most likely he's going to look for something in the range of what AFC North rival Carson Palmer got with Cincinnati. Palmer signed a six-year, $118.75 million deal in 2005; it included a signing bonus in excess of $15 million. This likely means that his base salaries after '05 weren't and aren't guaranteed, but Palmer's $13.480 million cap charge was the highest of any quarterback in the NFL this past season.

Roethlisberger's base salary of just over $1 million was among the lowest of starting QBs in the league this past season. His deal is structured in a way that he has a roster bonus worth $2.95 million due in early March, so it's not as if the Steelers are getting away with larceny. But clearly, Roethlisberger has outplayed his rookie deal, and if the market for young, talented passers goes as high as $30 million guaranteed, expect that -- plus 5 percent or more -- to be Tollner's opening offer.

Though the Steelers have various offseason concerns to deal with, such as soon-to-be free agent offensive lineman Alan Faneca, signing Roethlisberger to a long-term contract would be a huge step in what is going to be a critical offseason in Pittsburgh.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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