What Andy Dalton's Contract Means to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

What Andy Dalton's contract means to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
By Neal Coolong
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...-steelers-2014

Cincinnati helped make Ben Roethlisberger the third-highest paid player in terms of total value in the division. Here's why Ben wins by being ok with that.
Ben Roethlisberger is now the lowest paid quarterback in the AFC North.
This obviously is savagely unjust and represents all that is wrong in the NFL.

Actually, it's more like "Ben's cap situation is such the team needs to wait another season before giving him a deal that dwarfs Cap Killa Joe Flacco and the grossly overstated (on first glance) deal given by the Bengals to Andy Dalton.
The $115 million total value of Dalton's deal seems intentionally made to fall below the coveted $20 million per year mark - like how Babe Ruth told Lou Gehrig not to hit home runs to right field because that's his territory, the Bengals told Dalton he doesn't belong in the same league as Rodgers, Brees or even Flacco.
Ben can, should and most likely will own that area. Dalton's deal, if taken at face value, is, essentially, the equivalent of a hand-delivered invitation to a luxurious party with steak and shrimp, where the beer flows like wine and Ben's individual highlight film is playing in repeat, complete with the crowds cheering.
The only issue is Roethlisberger still has half the cap problem next year that he does now. With another $6.9 million to count for from previous restructures, and a base salary of $12.1 million, he has a large cap hit with a relatively low salary.
It's a simple question of faith, though. Roethlisberger has said repeatedly he wants his legacy to be winning championships. All he needs to do is hold his finger in the air to feel which direction this league is headed. The last two Super Bowl champions - Baltimore and Seattle - had/have quarterbacks playing below the average salary for the position. San Francisco and Seattle had that last season as well, and played in the NFC Championship. Seattle destroyed the well-paid Peyton Manning not simply because Russell Wilson doesn't make much money but the cap flexibility Seattle has due to his low contract (and the low contracts of several key players) give them the opportunity to sign the kinds of free agents other teams may consider luxury values. Great-to-haves, not need-to-haves. Depth among pass rushers, highly-skilled blocking tight ends, the kinds of $2 million to $3 million cap hit players who make a huge difference in terms of depth.
Baltimore did this during 2011-12, being able to pick up players like Matt Birk, Jacoby Jones and Bryant McKinnie, while continuing to pay Vonta Leach, then picking up a high-priced impact player like Elvis Dumervil. These kinds of moves aren't made by teams who have quarterbacks in the $16-22 million cap range.
Ben almost certainly has to see this. He also sees a pretty much fully guaranteed deal given to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and can reasonably conclude I'm getting the same amount of guaranteed money, and if I trust the front office to build talent around me, I can win while really not losing much money. Perhaps he saw Jim Kelly at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night, hearing all about how truly extraordinary the Bills passer was. Then he can think, I already have a stronger legacy than him, what will I be with another ring or two?
Untouchable.
The team technically doesn't have to give Ben a deal this year. He's under contract for two more years. Both sides are stuck on the hefty amount of residual money needing to be accounted for from previous restructures. But next season a large chunk of that goes away, giving the team an opportunity to secure Roethlisberger for the remainder of his career. If they can both agree it's mutually beneficial to guarantee Roethlisberger a large amount in a lower dollar deal, the cap space will be available to keep building the already potentially outstanding future core of this team. Ben can simply allow the front office to give him a huge amount of money guaranteed, comparatively speaking, and in doing so, further empower them to give him the best team he's ever had.
That seems like a win-win. And if that's all Ben wants to do, this would be the best way to do it.