Report: Growing Optimism Ben Will Play In 2021; Wants Smith-Schuster Back With Him

[Mr.wizard]

Take it!!!!!! Hahahahaha

You're still wrong man, you can't claim victory every time the Ravens lose a game, Just look at the body of work of Lamar Jackson and you will see your prediction about him being a flop is wrong. All you had to say was "he isn't the most the accurate QB but he is a much better player than I thought he would be." , instead you continue to try and push a narrative that has already been demonstrated to be false.

[Ernie]

you seem to be the only one I remember on here who was ready to move on from Ben before the last contract.

If we spend that money rebuilding the OL and skill positions and rolled with Mason/Dobbs I don’t think the results would be any worse than what we had these last 2 years.

The multi year, big money signing... prior to the start of last season.. just didnt make sense to me.
Its like we were worried that he was going to leave or something.. almost like a panic signing.
I guess hindsight is 20-20.. but,... I was one of the guys that said his deal should have been looked at in one year increments for the remainder of his career.

[feltdizz]

You're still wrong man, you can't claim victory every time the Ravens lose a game, Just look at the body of work of Lamar Jackson and you will see your prediction about him being a flop is wrong. All you had to say was "he isn't the most the accurate QB but he is a much better player than I thought he would be." , instead you continue to try and push a narrative that has already been demonstrated to be false.

she refuses to admit she was wrong.

I really think SM is a woman. They tend to refuse to admit they are wrong. Not all, but its a common trait on message boards.

[feltdizz]

The multi year, big money signing... prior to the start of last season.. just didnt make sense to me.
Its like we were worried that he was going to leave or something.. almost like a panic signing.
I guess hindsight is 20-20.. but,... I was one of the guys that said his deal should have been looked at in one year increments for the remainder of his career.

well, you know I was all for signing other skill positions over the QB. When people said 15 mill would handcuff our cap.. I laughed because nothing handcuffs the cap more than a 38 year old QB making 30+ mill per year.

I will keep repeating it all offseason. Mason playing well against a desperate Browns team a week prior without a few aging vets compared to Ben crapping the bed in the first half vs the Browns tells me we can have the same result for much less money at the QB position.

[Oviedo]

well, you know I was all for signing other skill positions over the QB. When people said 15 mill would handcuff our cap.. I laughed because nothing handcuffs the cap more than a 38 year old QB making 30+ mill per year.

I will keep repeating it all offseason. Mason playing well against a desperate Browns team a week prior without a few aging vets compared to Ben crapping the bed in the first half vs the Browns tells me we can have the same result for much less money at the QB position.

I agree. Mason in 2021 won't be much worse than ben would be plus I think our ability to attack teams deep would be better with MR

[steeler_george]

I am writing this with an open mind and thinking outside the box....

What if somehow we were redo Ben's contract to fit in Juju long term here and still sign a few FA we have ( Sutton, Alaulu, and maybe Hitlon) Maybe have JuJu a contract that is back ended heavy but cap friendly in 2021)

Would you really bitch about having a WR core of Juju, DJ, Claypool and Washington in 2021 rather than a wr core of Dj, Claypool, Washington and Ray-Ray in 2021?

And in 2022, when we have the future QB on board he will have weapons of Juju, DJ, Claypool and maybe Washington if he resigns. Vet receivers, yet young, in place for a rookie go a long way ...

[NorthCoast]

I am writing this with an open mind and thinking outside the box....

What if somehow we were redo Ben's contract to fit in Juju long term here and still sign a few FA we have ( Sutton, Alaulu, and maybe Hitlon) Maybe have JuJu a contract that is back ended heavy but cap friendly in 2021)

Would you really bitch about having a WR core of Juju, DJ, Claypool and Washington in 2021 rather than a wr core of Dj, Claypool, Washington and Ray-Ray in 2021?

And in 2022, when we have the future QB on board he will have weapons of Juju, DJ, Claypool and maybe Washington if he resigns. Vet receivers, yet young, in place for a rookie go a long way ...

JJSS is a #2 WR but some dumb GM will give him #1 money. He isn't worth it.

[Steel Maniac]

JJSS is a #2 WR but some dumb GM will give him #1 money. He isn't worth it.

Well, with a reduced cap, there’s a chance he stays but like you said, there’s a dumb team out there. Just like there was one for Leveon Bell.

[Oviedo]

Well, with a reduced cap, there’s a chance he stays but like you said, there’s a dumb team out there. Just like there was one for Leveon Bell.

Like I have said for awhile, I could see a lot of one year contracts due to the cap being reduced. Guys waiting for the cap jump up after 2021 to get their big paydays

[Steel Maniac]

I am writing this with an open mind and thinking outside the box....

What if somehow we were redo Ben's contract to fit in Juju long term here and still sign a few FA we have ( Sutton, Alaulu, and maybe Hitlon) Maybe have JuJu a contract that is back ended heavy but cap friendly in 2021)

Would you really bitch about having a WR core of Juju, DJ, Claypool and Washington in 2021 rather than a wr core of Dj, Claypool, Washington and Ray-Ray in 2021?

And in 2022, when we have the future QB on board he will have weapons of Juju, DJ, Claypool and maybe Washington if he resigns. Vet receivers, yet young, in place for a rookie go a long way ...

Ben needs to take a reduced Salary anyway. Or they should take the cap hot and move from him. We all saw the bad snap play and he was afraid of getting hit. And when that happens, generally it’s time to move on from this game.

We need to set up personnel wise and financially for the future. Bite the bullet next season and have an off regular season to get a high draft pick and move these big contracts we have with over 30 players.

[hawaiiansteel]

Mike Tomlin Rejects Notion Of Rebuild, Says Desire Is To ‘Pursue A World Championship Each And Every Year’

https://steelersdepot.com/2021/01/mike-tomlin-rejects-notion-of-rebuild-says-desire-is-to-pursue-a-world-championship-each-and-every-year/

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I am writing this with an open mind and thinking outside the box....

What if somehow we were redo Ben's contract to fit in Juju long term here and still sign a few FA we have ( Sutton, Alaulu, and maybe Hitlon) Maybe have JuJu a contract that is back ended heavy but cap friendly in 2021)

Would you really bitch about having a WR core of Juju, DJ, Claypool and Washington in 2021 rather than a wr core of Dj, Claypool, Washington and Ray-Ray in 2021?

And in 2022, when we have the future QB on board he will have weapons of Juju, DJ, Claypool and maybe Washington if he resigns. Vet receivers, yet young, in place for a rookie go a long way ...

The unfortunate problem is that there would not be enough money under the 2021 cap to do all of this without a lot of extremely back-loaded contracts. The problem with those types of contracts is that players will only sign them if there is a guarantee that they will still be collecting money down the road because they don't want to miss out on collecting the big money that is theoretically on the contract. So options include large signing bonuses, which will lead to large dead money if they get rid of the player before contract is over, or larger than their worth cap hits down the road, like Pouncey ($14.475M), Haden ($15.575M), Decastro ($14.2975M), and, of course Ben ($41.25M) in 2021. That would impact cap flexibility, which could impact your chances of re-upping guys like TJ and Minkah, finding the next Haden or Nelson (impact FA) etc. All that to take one last kick at the can with Ben behind a subpar OL in transition.

BTW, I do believe that Ben still has the arm to throw the ball (the problem is not his arm) but has lost his mobility and toughness. He throws quickly without even setting his feet because of this IMO. He is hearing footsteps. I don't see that being remedied by this coming season.

[whatever]

Ben shouldn’t give back any money.
I want him back just to pad his stats for as long as he wants.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Like I have said for awhile, I could see a lot of one year contracts due to the cap being reduced. Guys waiting for the cap jump up after 2021 to get their big paydays

Even though there will be one year deals, it isn't like everyone will be jumping in at vet min. If JJSS would like a 5 year, $70M deal (avg. $14M) he might be forced to accept $10-12M on a one year contract but even that is too high for the Steelers to spend to bring him back. He won't be accepting a $5M or so deal, and the Steelers can't spend more right now on a unit that has Claypool, DJ, Washington on the roster. The team needs to pare the cap of bigger hits, no way to add a JuJu salary.

[Captain Lemming]

Ben needs to take a reduced Salary anyway. Or they should take the cap hot and move from him. We all saw the bad snap play and he was afraid of getting hit. And when that happens, generally it’s time to move on from this game.

If THIS Ben needed to make a tackle in the 2005 playoffs...we would have one less Lombardi.