The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... On Feb. 24, Steelers owner Art Rooney II issued a statement about a meeting he had with Roethlisberger that day during which the player and the team made a commitment to getting something done contractually to allow him to come back for the 2021 season. The first day of the new league year for NFL teams is Wednesday, March 17, which is the opening of free agency and also when all teams must be compliant with the 2021 salary cap. That makes March 17 the deadline for the Steelers and Roethlisberger to get something worked out. "Hopefully we'll work something out before that," said Rooney, "but certainly if you want to say there's a hard deadline, March 17 would be it."

Diehards Line: Meanwhile, Rooney also explained that the decision and the work to be done on Roethlisberger has been about his contract and its impact on the team's salary cap all along. It was not about performance. "We think Ben played at a high level last year," said Rooney. "We won our division and set a franchise record for most consecutive wins to open a season, so there was a lot of good stuff. Ben was as disappointed as anybody the way it ended. That last game is just hard to swallow, and I think in part Ben wants to come back and leave on a high note. We're still confident he has the ability to do that. His arm, I would say, is as strong or almost as strong as ever, so I think he's certainly capable of getting the job done. ..." It would appear the bigger concern is building a competitive supporting cast. And Big Ben adjusting his contract is part of that.