PHOENIX -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he's 'proceeding with the assumption' that Ben Roethlisberger will return for a 14th NFL season.
This struck a similar tone to president Art Rooney II's and general manager Kevin Colbert's comments earlier this offseason about their quarterback: They expect him back.
"I don't know that there's a line in the dirt, but I guess we'll know when we come to it," said Tomlin from the NFL owners meetings.
Tomlin has stayed in consistent communication with Roethlisberger in recent months but said he hasn't asked Roethlisberger directly whether he'll play.
Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan in late January that he would weigh his options and "if there's gonna be a next year." In mid-March, however, Roethlisberger told the crowd at Ignite Men's Conference at Liberty University that he's "leaning toward" playing.
The Steelers have aggressively evaluated draft-eligible quarterbacks in recent years and will do so again this year, Tomlin said.
When asked about Roethlisberger, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he's "quite sure" Roethlisberger will be under center for Pittsburgh in 2017.
"Put it this way -- we're preparing for the Steelers right now, and we're preparing for No. 7," Harbaugh said.
Then Harbaugh quipped, "there are probably a lot of things Ben can do in retirement that would be fulfilling for him."