Ben Roethlisberger expected to ask for trade options
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looks to pass against the New England Patriots in the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Steelers 55-31. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is reportedly unhappy with the team, as the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that Big Ben is expected to ask the Steelers to shop him around in the offseason in an effort to see what he’s worth. On GameDay Morning today, Rapoport stated that Roethlisberger is upset with the Steelers organization, and that this is something that transcends a dispute with incompetent offensive coordinator Todd Haley, whom Roethlisberger has been highly critical of in the past.
With this information, it seems perfectly reasonable to expect the Steelers to shop around Roethlisberger and field some offers, but it doesn’t seem reasonable at all to expect him to be dealt. Top ten quarterbacks like Roethlisberger simply don’t grow on trees, and they are incredibly valuable commodities who earn top dollar and would never fetch fair trade value (see: Cutler, Jay). The Steelers are incredibly unlikely to trade Roethlisberger, no matter how mad he is.
I honestly think this will boil over by the time any of this would have been expected to happen, because my guess is that Roethlisberger is simply frustrated with the way the Steelers season has gone this season. This issue can be exaggerated rather easily, but I certainly wouldn’t fall victim to that trap. At this point, Roethlisberger is probably just a little bit upset, the Steelers will quickly gauge his trade value (and see that it is absolutely not worth it), and he’ll end up staying for the rest of his career. As long as the Steelers continue to make an effort to beef up their offensive line and defense, then there shouldn’t be any problems; winning coincides with the happiness of star players, so it’s about making the effort to win.
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