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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have reiterated repeatedly during an eventful offseason that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains the team’s unquestioned leader. They have handed him a new deal to prove it.The Steelers and the two-time Super Bowl winner agreed to terms on a contract extension Wednesday that will keep Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Roethlisberger had been set to enter the final year of a contract he signed in 2015. Financial terms were not disclosed https://www.thesteelerslockerroom.com/authentic-terrell-edmunds-jersey , but Roethlisberger figures to get a significant pay bump over the $12 million he was due (with a $23 million cap hit) in 2019.“It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “This is home for me and my family, and we love this city. I am as excited to be a Steeler in Year 16 as I was when they drafted me. They will get my absolute best.”The deal gives Pittsburgh some stability going forward after the high-profile departures of wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. Brown pouted his way into a trade with the Oakland Raiders in March while Bell signed with the New York Jets as a free agent after sitting out all of 2018 when he opted not to sign his franchise tender.Roethlisberger, who turned 37 last month, is coming off the finest statistical season of his 15-year career. His 5,129 yards passing led the NFL and his 34 touchdown passes broke his own franchise mark. Yet his once-solid relationship with Brown appeared to deteriorate during a late slide that culminated in a 9-6-1 finish, a swoon that caused the Steelers to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.Brown sat out a crucial Week 17 game against Cincinnati and in the aftermath lashed out on social media, blaming Roethlisberger for having an “owner mentality .”Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert went out of his way to defend the quarterback, saying that in a way, Roethlisberger was dealing with “52 kids” on the roster Womens Terrell Edmunds Jersey , a challenge for some of Roethlisberger’s teammates to take on a greater role in the locker room. Not that Roethlisberger minds the responsibility. He has been unapologetic in his approach and unafraid to call out himself and others when the team fails to play to the standard it has set for itself during his largely successful tenure.Roethlisberger flirted with retirement after the 2016 season but has found a renewed sense of energy in his mid-30s. Having an offensive line that has kept him upright has certainly helped. Roethlisberger has been sacked an average of 20½ times over the last four years — compared with an average of 42 times per season between 2006-13 — due in part to stellar play in front of him and an approach predicated on getting the ball out faster while shying away from the “Ben being Ben” stuff that led to a mix of big plays and big mistakes earlier in his career.The announcement of the extension came on the 15th anniversary of the Steelers making Roethlisberger the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft. After taking over the starting job in Week 2 of the 2004 season following an injury to veteran Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to three Super Bowls, along with seven AFC North titles and 10 total playoff berths.“Ben is one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, and he continued to climb the lists among the all-time passing leaders in the league last season,” team president Art Rooney II said. “But I know Ben’s focus is on only one goal — to bring another Lombardi trophy back to Pittsburgh.”Roethlisberger will lead an offense in the midst of a generational shift at other skill positions. JuJu Smith-Schuster replaces Brown as Pittsburgh’s top receiver and the running back combination of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels combined to put up numbers in 2018 similar to Bell’s at his peak. There is stability, however, along the offensive line. Four of five starters return and there are plenty of potential in-house replacements for right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who was traded to Arizona in March.Pittsburgh has toyed with finding Roethlisberger’s eventual successor, drafting Josh Dobbs in the fourth round in 2017 and Mason Rudolph in the third round last year. Dobbs won the backup job last summer over Rudolph and veteran Landry Jones, who was cut on the eve of the 2018 season. Having them in place means the Steelers are likely to avoid drafting a quarterback with one of their 10 selections in the draft that starts Thursday.Inside linebacker T. J. Watt Jersey White , cornerback and wide receiver figure to be Pittsburgh’s biggest needs early.Quarterback, for the 15th straight year, will not. Not with Roethlisberger still very much in charge early into the next decade. The Carolina Panthers fell behind early and never recovered.Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense used an early surge and a first-quarter defensive touchdown to jump out to a big lead as the Steelers pounded the Panthers 52-21 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory."I tell you what, it sure enough was a humbling piece of pie," Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said. "It was a learning experience for a lot of guys. If we are as good as we expect us to be, we have to find a way to win games in a hostile environment."The Panthers (6-3) saw their three-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt in a city where they've never won. Carolina fell to 0-4 all-time in Pittsburgh and was never really in it after the Steelers scored 21 points in the game's first 11 minutes."We had a lot of our noses bleeding early on and we just have to stop it," Newton said. "We need to find ways to keep things going in our favor. We just got outplayed today."Newton's showdown with Roethlisberger also never materialized.Roethlisberger finished 22 of 25 passes for 328 yards with five touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The Steelers, who punted for the first time with 9:34 to play, were 8 of 9 on third down with Roethlisberger in the game.Newton completed 23 of 29 passes for 193 yards and a pair of flips to Christian McCaffrey that the second-year running back turned into scores.The Steelers sacked Newton five times and rarely let him get comfortable as the Panthers' offensive line struggled against the pass rush. Entering Thursday's game, Carolina allowed just 12 sacks Terrell Edmunds Jersey White , second-fewest through eight games in franchise history.The biggest rush came on the 11th snap of the game when Newton threw off his back foot out of the Carolina end zone while trying to avoid getting sacked. Pittsburgh linebacker Vince Williams raced under the floater and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead they never came close to relinquishing."I was just trying to throw the ball away," Newton said. "When you're getting slung around, you can't really control the accuracy. I hit the ground, I looked up and it was an interception."The Panthers scored 99 points in their last nine quarters entering Thursday's game. That included a franchise-record 35 first-half point outburst during a 14-point win against Tampa Bay last week.MCaffrey finished with 138 yards of total offense and accounted for all three Carolina scores, but it wasn't nearly enough."This league is hard, this league will humble you real fast," Carolina TE Greg Olsen said. "Hopefully, that's the lesson we get out of tonight. We've got a lot of work to do. We found out tonight that we have some work to do to be in that upper echelon right now."The Steelers' 52 points are tied for the most ever allowed by the Panthers in franchise history. The last time it happened came during a 52-9 loss, Dec. 24, 2000 Womens JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , against Oakland.The Steelers, who scored on seven of their first eight drives, held a 17-point halftime lead and increased the advantage to 38-14 on the opening series of the second half.Roethlisberger's fourth touchdown pass came two plays after Carolina safety Eric Reid was ejected for an unnecessary hit to the head while Roethlisberger slid for a first down."" Reid said. "He was scrambling and I'm trying to do my job and tackle the person carrying the ball. I understand the NFL is trying to protect quarterbacks, but when they're running the ball they're running backs."The hit sparked a brief fracas with members of the Steelers' offensive line, but ended with Roethlisberger and Reid sharing a fist bump and a tap on the helmet after the play."I told him that I didn't intend to hurt him by any means," Reid said. "I was just trying to do my job, and he said "no hard feelings."The Panthers plan to take the extended weekend to regroup for a road game at Detroit on Nov. 18. Carolina is 6-2 all-time against Detroit."When you get put behind the eight ball that kind of deters you from the given game plan," Newton said. "The guys in the locker room seem to have a grasp on what's at stake. We know we're capable of being a deep contender playoff team."