Ben Roethlisberger said Tuesday that earlier this year he approached the Pittsburgh Steelers about taking a pay cut. The rationale was for the team to use the $15 million in salary-cap savings on others.

It might be safe to say that no player’s return to the Steelers made Roethlisberger happier than that of receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“I was really excited to get JuJu back,” Roethlisberger said during a video conference call with media Tuesday, about 10 weeks after Smith-Schuster agreed to return to the Steelers after a weeklong flirtation with free agency.

“I felt like I was in (Smith-Schuster’s) ear and in (coach Mike Tomlin’s) ear a lot during that process the last 12 or 24 hours of JuJu signing back here, (just) to have a familiar face and a guy that brings so much to this team.”

Smith-Schuster made his debut for Steelers at 2021 organized team activities Tuesday, with still photos released by the team confirming his presence at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Smith-Schuster had 308 catches for 3,726 yards and 26 touchdowns over his first four seasons with the Steelers since being taken with a second-round pick in 2017. But his average yards per catch tumbled from a career average of 13.7 from 2017-19 to 8.6 last season.

Still, Smith-Schuster led the Steelers in catches (97) and receiving touchdowns (tied, nine), and he was tied for second in the NFL in third-down catches that achieved a first down (24).

“Is there a guy in the NFL that on third-and-medium-to-short you want the ball in his hands as much as JuJu?” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t know if I can think of one. The passion he gives to this city and to this team to help us win is awesome. As young as he is, he’s the leader of that group.”

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