Will Roethlisberger Hold Out When the Steelers Open Camp?
By Kipper
@pghsportsforum
Will Roethlisberger Hold Out When the Steelers Open Camp?
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/ar..._head_16601095
There are lines in the sand that are drawn and both sides know the consequences of what stepping over means. There are also lines in the sand drawn by Bugs Bunny in order to get Yosemite Sam to fall off a cliff. As of right now, I can see a situation where Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger draws a line in the sand and it won’t be the one produced by Looney Tunes.
With the news yesterday of Colin Kaepernick’s monster new deal which includes a record $61 million in guaranteed money, the situation between the Steelers and Roethlisberger just got much more serious.
While the deal reached by the San Francisco 49ers and Kaepernick has many levels to it, it only increases the amount Roethlisberger could and should demand. With Jay Cutler and Tony Romo, who have won absolutely nothing by the way, making $18 million per year or more, why should Roethlisberger settle for less?
Worried about age are you? Sorry, but that precedent was set when the Cowboys gave the 34 year-old Romo half of Texas and parts of Oklahoma as well.
I’ve tried to look at the situation with black and gold glasses on but I’m now to the point where I can see Big Ben holding out when camp begins and he has every right to at this point. With just this year and next left on his current deal, Roethlisberger can force the hand of the Steelers.
Either they give him the new deal he desires or he sits and the Steelers go with Bruce Gradkowski. If I’m the Steelers and I have no interest in signing him to a new deal comparable to Cutler and others then you put Roethlisberger on the trade block now. Why wait and risk something happening to him? At the very least get some picks in return.
If you think a ‘new deal’ for Roethlisberger is a just a matter of time then the clock just got moved forward significantly because right now, Ben is the one drawing the line in the sand.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard weekly on Trib-Live Radio talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.