The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 49th training camp on the campus of St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe and, aside for the usual fanfare, there was little real news. Nonetheless, a few morsels of interest did break.

Steelers Open 2014 Training Camp

Roethlisberger Extension on Hold

Steelers President Art Rooney II firmly stepped out an end all speculation on the status of Ben Roethlisberger’s contract extension negotiations, declaring that the team intends to resign Roethlisberger, but will wait until 2015 to complete a deal.

• Rooney cited salary cap concerns as the team’s main motive.

With an expected spike in the salary cap coming in 2015, the move might make sense. And analysis by Behind the Steel Curtain shows that the Steelers really could not expect to get any real salary cap benefit by inking the extension now.

• However, the move is not risk free.

Quarterbacks such as Tony Romo and Jay Cutler, to name two, who’ve accomplished far less than Roethlisberger has, have seen themselves get mega-deals. There are likely several more quarterback deals to be made between now and February or March of 2015, further inflating the price the Steelers will need to pay.

Still, while the Steelers have managed salary cap purgatory well, they’re by no means in a “good” situation yet as they’re still forced to carry dead money from LaMarr Woodley and Willie Colon’s contracts on this season’s leger.

In that light, it does make sense to seek smaller deals with players like Cortez Allen.

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