Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has revealed that the club have begun discussions with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger over a new contract.
The 32-year-old is entering the final year of his deal with the Steelers, and due to his high level of production is in line to receive a contract in the region of $20m (£13.1m) per year to align himself with the other top quarterbacks in the NFL.
However, Colbert has admitted that the talks could take a while to complete due to the nature of the contract.
Colbert told the club's official website: "Ben is entering [the final year of his current contract] and as [Steelers President] Art Rooney II stated in the past, we've prioritised signing Ben this off-season. I can say that we have begun discussions with him.
"There is no timetable on it. It could happen quickly. It could take a little while. As I have always said, when you have two parties who are real interested in getting the same goal achieved, it usually goes quicker than not."
Roethlisberger threw for 4,952 yards and 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions in the 2014 season.
Simon Sinclair
