The Pittsburgh Steelers have aggressively evaluated draft-eligible quarterbacks in the past few years and will do so this year.

Ben Roethlisberger, 35, said in late January that he would evaluate his future during the offseason.

"We've been in that mentality," Mike Tomlin said. "Our experience in this business and the realities of this business put us in that mindset. [General manager] Kevin [Colbert] and I have spent special attention to that position over the last several years, if nothing else from a dry-run perspective, to gain the knowledge and the information necessary to make good decisions when we come to that fork in the road. Who's to say that we aren't there right now?"

The Steelers haven't selected a quarterback in the top three rounds of the draft since taking Roethlisberger 11th overall in 2004.

Ben Roethlisberger is "leaning towards" returning to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017.

The quarterback caused some concern at the start of the offseason when he said he was "going to take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options."

Roethlisberger, 35, has dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career.

Le'Veon Bell underwent surgery on Monday to repair the groin injury he suffered during the AFC playoffs.

Earlier Monday, Bell posted several Snapchat videos from a hospital bed, announcing he was going "under."

NFL Network reported that the surgery was to repair a "core muscle" injury that will require about a six-week timetable. Bell told ESPN that he'll be ready for the Steelers' offseason workouts.

Bell received a franchise tag of $12.12 million for 2017.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Le'Veon Bell are in negotiations on a long-term contract, according to a report.

The Steelers made Antonio Brown the highest-paid wide receiver in the league earlier this week.

There is likely a deadline of the new league year on Thursday, when the new salary cap of $167 million locks in.