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 Parris Campbell 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 , 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 http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-bobby-okereke-jersey , 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, 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. Todd Gurley never had a true running partner during his first four regular seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.The superstar running back took most of the carries and grinded out most of the tough yards while his backups played only sparingly.When he suited up with C.J. Anderson for the first time last weekend during the Rams’ divisional playoff win over Dallas, Gurley truly shared the big carries for one of the first times in his NFL career.As the New Orleans Saints have already noticed, the tandem was pretty much unstoppable.“I guess it was a good thing I got hurt,” Gurley said with a laugh.NFC Championship GameRams win in NFC Championship good for all NFL playersRams are a 'different team' heading into SundayCris Carter has words of wisdom for Marcus PetersRams have no 'fear of the unknown' vs. SaintsEarly Preview: Rams vs. SaintsGurley’s knee injury last month led the Rams to sign Anderson, a six-year veteran who had been released by three NFL teams in the previous eight months. Anderson hit the ground running with 299 yards in the Rams’ final two regular season victories while Gurley sat out.When Gurley and Anderson suited up together against the Cowboys, their contrasting styles and similar relentlessness made history. Anderson went for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Gurley rushed for 115 yards and another score as they propelled the Rams to a franchise playoff-record 273 yards rushing and on to the NFC championship game on Sunday.The Saints have already watched film of this partnership’s debut, and they know what’s coming to the Superdome.“Being able to split time with (Anderson) and Gurley, it does good things for them,” Saints linebacker A.J. Klein said. “It gets Gurley some rest and gets him some carries, and vice versa. It keeps them fresh. And obviously you can tell when they’re running the ball, they’re not tired. They’re fresh and they’re running hard.”The Rams’ dynamic duo presents a remarkable contrast at the position.Gurley is a powerful, majestic runner capable of injuring would-be tacklers as easily as breaking past safeties for a length-of-the-field TD sprint.Anderson is 5-foot-8 and a self-described “fat kid running.” While he hits holes and linebackers ferociously, he isn’t planning to break away from any defensive backs anytime soon.“From the 40 in. That’s it Khari Willis Jersey ,” he said Sunday when asked to imagine his longest possible TD run. “Can’t go 70. Todd can go 70, 80 if he wants to. Me, from the 40 in, man. When they say the 40 at the combine matters, that’s where it matters.”Gurley and Anderson present a stark contrast in running styles, but they already looked like good teammates against the Cowboys. Gurley and Anderson largely substituted themselves, each waving the other on or off the field, depending on whether they were tired, or felt they had the metaphorical hot hand.Anderson, who won a Super Bowl with the Broncos three years ago, still seems a bit surprised to be deep in the playoffs just a few weeks after he was unemployed. He understands his place in the Rams’ larger picture, and he willingly defers to Gurley.“Whatever Todd wanted to do, we were going to ride with anyway,” Anderson said of the substitution plan against Dallas. “If he wanted to play 98 percent of the snaps, we were going to let the man be the man. That’s why he’s one of the best backs in the league.“But I think him seeing the opportunity of being fresh and not taking as many hits and (not) having the workload on passing downs and run downs, I think that helps him. And vice versa for myself. I’ve been in a position where I was a starter and I was the same way, when I was in Denver. I’ve always told him, ‘You want to be fresh Josh Allen Jersey ,’ and when you’re fresh, obviously more explosive runs for the both of us.”Gurley tore his knee ligament during his final season at Georgia, and his rookie season didn’t start until the Rams’ third game. Since then, he has been one of the NFL’s most durable backs, even without having a heavily used backup.Malcolm Brown joined the Rams with Gurley in 2015, and he has been Gurley’s primary backup during coach Sean McVay’s two-year tenure.Brown averaged 4.9 yards on 43 carries this season, matching Gurley’s per-carry average. But Brown has just 106 carries in the past two seasons to Gurley’s 535, and he went on injured reserve last month after he injured his collarbone, forcing the Rams to sign Anderson.Gurley had the ball on 74 percent of the Rams’ rushing plays in the 2016 season and 61 percent of the rushing plays in 2017. He carried the ball on 55 percent of LA’s 459 rushing plays this season while sitting out the final two games as Anderson ran wild.Gurley also points out the obvious: Even with this fascinating tailback tandem, the Rams run the ball well because of their powerful offensive line.“When we dominate at the line of scrimmage, nine times out of 10, we’re going to win,” Gurley said. “They always give the running backs the credit, but you see what those guys did. You see who led this team to a victory.”