PITTSBURGH -- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's contract status has been a topic of interest because he has two years left on the $102 million deal he signed in 2008.

That is the same number of years Roethlisberger had remaining on his rookie contract when he and the Steelers agreed to the deal that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history.

That nothing has happened as far as a new contract -- and that nothing is imminent -- has generated a little anxiety among some Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

What hasn't changed, however, is that the two most important factors to a new deal getting done are still in place: Roethlisberger wants to play his entire career in Pittsburgh, and the organization wants the 10-year veteran to retire as a Steeler.

"There's been ongoing [contract] discussions for quite awhile," Ryan Tollner, Roethlisberger’s agent, told ESPN.com. "I think from the time we did the first extension there was sort of a plan moving forward. There's a plan in place, but both sides are pretty committed to doing that privately and not having it be something that's discussed in the media."

That is how the Steelers operate, whether it is with their franchise quarterback or a player who helps fill out the roster. But Steelers president Art Rooney II and general manager Kevin Colbert have each said the organization is committed to Roethlisberger playing his entire career in Pittsburgh and maximizing the remaining years he has left in him.

As for Roethlisberger’s desire to play for just one team his entire career, Tollner said, "It's always been critical to him. From day one he's always admired players that could play with one organization and retire with that organization. That's an underlying goal that always drives him, that he would always be a Steeler."

The Steelers can lower Roethlisberger's cap hit -- it is just under $18.9 million in 2014, according to ESPN Stats & Information -- but they also can wait to get a new deal done because they already have done the bulk of their free-agent shopping and get more than $8 million in cap relief after June 1.

Whether that means the Steelers sign Roethlisberger to a new contract this summer, before the start of the 2014 season, or even next year remains to be seen. Tollner wouldn't predict when or if a new deal would get done, but he said, "I think there's mutual respect on both parties."