Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will commence talks on a long-term deal this week.

Roethlisberger, the eleventh overall pick in the 2004 draft, has two years remaining on his six-year rookie deal.

The financial objectives of Roethlisberger are unknown, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll get the kind of deal from the Steelers that he’d fetch on the open market. 

Roethlisberger is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.35 million in 2008, and $1.7 million in 2009.