Rookie quarterback Roethlisberger agrees to six-year deal
Brings with it the richest bonus in Steelers history
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ben Roethlisberger swears he did not speed during a solo 4 1/2-hour drive yesterday from Findlay, Ohio, to Latrobe, even though his dream job and the biggest payday of his life awaited his arrival.
Roethlisberger was patient, just as the Steelers plan to be with their new quarterback.
"I knew where I was going," he said in a way that meant more than taking no wrong turns.
The Steelers will pay Roethlisber- ger the largest signing bonus in their history at $9 million, quite a sum for someone who might not play as a rookie. They plan to start Tommy Maddox and play Roethlisberger, if they get the chance, late in runaway games.
This morning he will be their fourth-string quarterback when he practices for the first time at St. Vincent College -- behind Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch and Brian St. Pierre. Early last evening they toasted him as the future franchise quarterback, and they will pay him like one.
Roethlisberger signed a six-year contract worth $14.26 million plus an $8 million roster bonus to be paid March 5, 2009, if he reaches certain performance clauses, making it a possible $22.26 million contract. The deal would be worth as much as $40 million if he hit all of his incentive bonuses. Those include playing time, performance and honors bonuses, and bonuses if the Steelers reach the Super Bowl and another if they win it. There are no escalator clauses or voidable years in the contract, things the Rooneys adamantly resisted.
The $9 million signing bonus technically is not correct, but is in spirit, surpassing the $8.1 million bonus quarterback Kordell Stewart received on his last extension in 1999. It also beats the $8 million bonus defensive back Dunta Robinson received from Houston as the 10th overall draft pick, one ahead of Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger receives $600,000 in a signing bonus now, $1,172,000 in a roster bonus Aug. 10 and a $7,237,000 million roster bonus in March. The latter will prorate over the final five years of the contract for salary cap purposes.
His annual salaries are $230,000, $305,000, $665,500, $1,006,000, $1,356,500 and $1,707,000.
"It's in the past now, contracts and all that stuff," said Roethlisberger, who left Miami (Ohio) after his junior year to enter the NFL. "It's time for football. I was excited to get here, get to the meetings tonight and start practice tomorrow."
If the Steelers aren't putting much pressure on him to lead them this year, Leigh Steinberg certainly did not hold back assessing his potential. The agent to some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two decades put his newest client among them.
"I think we're talking about a Troy Aikman/John Elway quarterback," Steinberg said. "I frankly believe they have a true potential superstar down the road."
It was Steinberg, and not Steelers president Art Rooney II, who called Roethlisberger the Steelers "franchise quarterback" at a news conference yesterday. After all, the Steelers have not chosen a quarterback that high in the draft since they picked Terry Bradshaw first in 1970.
"It's obviously quite an honor," Roethlisberger said, "but it's something that's down the road. Right now we're focused on today and getting right back into meetings as soon as this is over with, focusing on this year and just improving myself."
It took a marathon meeting among Steinberg, his chief negotiatior Bruce Tollner and Steelers chief negotiator Omar Khan to bring the deal together after two frustrating days where talks stalled. Steinberg and Tollner flew to Pittsburgh and began negotiations Monday with Khan at the Steelers facility on the South Side. They broke once to dine in the Steelers' cafeteria and again late at night when they picked up takeout food from Fat Head's on the South Side.
"They wanted some Pittsburgh food," Khan said.
The trio broke at 2:30 a.m. yesterday, renewed talks at 7:30 a.m. and quickly polished off a contract.
"It was a long process. It was caffeine assisted," Steinberg said. "Omar has tremendous stamina."
Roethlisberger plans to use some of his earnings to help the police and fire departments in his home town of Findlay, Ohio; to assist his former school; and to help youth football in Pittsburgh.
He missed four training camp practices since the Steelers reported Friday night to St. Vincent College.
"The world will little note nor long remember that it was a day or two late," Steinberg said.
Said Coach Bill Cowher, "He's got some work to do but I'm glad he's here."
Roethlisberger admitted to a little nervousness as he approached his first practice this morning, but, like the trip from Ohio, is in no hurry to speed up the depth chart.
"Whatever's best for this team, whatever they ask of me, I'm going to do, whether that's to be a backup, a third-string, whatever it is. My priority right now is this organization and this team. We'll see how this training camp plays out."
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