He told Ed Boo, shed of the athletic that he went to the Steelers first about restructuring the deal.

That quote, I want to do everything I can and made that very clear to them from the very beginning that it was my idea to basically help the team.

However I can this year, he added, He quote doesn't care about my pay at all this year.

That sounds good.

It may not be as simple as that in reality, because there are football considerations here and there are financial considerations.

Let's start with the football considerations.

Dan, how do you see this from an on the field standpoint?

The pros and cons of bringing back Ban in Pittsburgh.

Dan Orlovsky talk about Oh, sorry.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

On the field.

That's my fault.

I'm sorry we got to dance today.

That's my bed.

Orlowski, How do you see it?

From an on the field standpoint?

Yeah, Whether Big Ben comes back or not, should have zero impact on what the Steelers decided to do this year about their future at the position they have to address.

Who's gonna be there next quarterback.

Now, if Big Ben's comes back at what price can he come back at for this organization?

You know, we watched this team deteriorate at the offensive line this year.

They've got some really important free agents juju and but Dupri and James Carter that they have to figure out, like okay, if Big Ben comes back at X number, can we bring one or two of those guys back to help us make a final run and greedy?

The truth is that this team is chasing other teams now in the A F C.

And so that has to factor in in the organization's decision of how much they're willing to pay.

Ben, they are chasing Cleveland.

They are chasing Baltimore.

They are chasing Buffalo.

They're right there with Miami in Indianapolis.

And so if they want Big Bend back, it's gonna have to be at a significantly cheaper rate.

But at the end of the day, they have to figure out who's gonna be there next.

Starting quarterback for the next 10 years.

Bart Scott, I mean, always asked the rival at the rave in and you I know take some pleasure in seeing this falling apart, but in your mind is the Steelers best course of action to have been back next season?

Not at all.

You know, greeny, either either died a hero live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

And I think that's what Big Ben is, because if you look at that playoff game, you know he looks like a shot, a shot fighter, death by 1000 paper cuts.

You know he's checked down Charlie at this point, doesn't push the ball down the field.

And at this point of his life, he's not willing to take the hits that made him such a great quarterback swatting guys away, being able to look down the barrel of the gun and throw and deliver a pinpoint pass.

He's not that guy anymore.

So for me, it's not any number that big band can come back that play, because I know that it's limitations to where we could go a zone organization where we could go as a team for me, I think, is Matthew Stafford a bus that's the perfect quarterback for them right now.

The ability for Matthew Stafford to come in and be your answer, your solution for the next five years and understanding that, Hey, this team is in a window where they can kind of close the gap with a team like Baltimore with a team like Cleveland, if they have outstanding quarterback with a live arm that can that can utilize the entire football field 53 wide and 100 long.

And so then let me come to Dan Graziano this time.

And let's talk about the money piece of this because there are a lot of considerations there and they go beyond just the quarterback.

Look, if he comes back on his current contract, the cap hit is $41.25 million.

That's what Art Rooney is talking about when he says this can't be done, so they have to make an adjustment.

But even if even if he took a pay cut, which, by the way, would cause other problems, right, the union wouldn't love that precedent of a quarterback taking a pay cut at the end of his career.

But even if they re structured the deal and extend it out to reduce the signing bonus preparation, the lowest they could get his cap number for this year is about 23 million so that's a significant reduction.

But it still doesn't really solve all their problems, or even most of them, because they're well over the projected capped.

At this point, they have key free agents guys like Bud Dupree and Juju Smith Schuster that may have to leave if they can't get something figured out.

Cap wise, they have guys like T.

J.

Watt and make up Fitzpatrick, who have contract extensions coming up the Steelers in a major pickle.

And it may be really difficult for them to field a competitive team this year if they have to bring back Ben Roethlisberger.

Look, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that generally we never see rebuild.

They just sort of reload on the fly.

Part of that has been they've had the great quarterback at this point for two decades.

That has helped.

We may be seeing the end of that era right before our eyes.

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