Ben Roethlisberger was the first, but he certainly won’t be the last.

One of the dominant story lines this offseason will be the massive contract extensions given out to several notable quarterbacks. It’s not a question of if, but when. The $100 million figure, which used to be rarified air, figures to be toppled several times in the coming months.

Roethlisberger was the first domino to fall, agreeing to a five-year extension on March 13. The new deal should ensure Roethlisberger starts and finishes his career with the franchise that brought him into the league with the No. 11 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Given that Big Ben has brought two Lombardi Trophies to the Steel City — and that he finally started to click with offensive coordinator Todd Haley last season — there was little question he would ink a new deal.

“It’s home. It’s family,” Roethlisberger said of Pittsburgh. “As much as my wife and kids are family, so is the Rooney family and my team and coaches.”

Roethlisberger’s deal — which can be worth as much as $108 million with incentives — should set the framework for two other quarterbacks from his draft class: Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.

Manning, who like Roethlisberger has won a pair of Super Bowls, is coming off one of his best statistical seasons (30 TDs and 14 INTs). He came on strong over the second half of the season — getting comfortable in the West Coast offense installed by new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo — and appears primed to be even better in 2015 thanks to the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr.

The Giants have yet to approach Manning about an extension and he has stated he is comfortable playing out the final year of his contract. Nonetheless, the two sides are likely to get together at some point this offseason (likely after the draft) to see if they can come to terms on a deal that makes sense for everybody.

Rivers, unlike his peers, has yet to win a Super Bowl; however, he means as much to the Chargers as any player can mean to his franchise. His situation is a little tricky, though, as he conceded on Tuesday he plans to play out the final season of his contract before agreeing to an extension.

Rivers, whose wife and seven children live in San Diego, is turned off by the team’s possible relocation to Los Angeles. Additionally, he would like to see the Chargers prove they are committed to chasing championships before he signs a long-term deal. The team has made a couple steps in that direction this offseason, bringing in OG Orlando Franklin to improve the protection and WR Stevie Johnson to boost the passing game, but that is probably not enough to close the gap on the Broncos and Chiefs, both of whom swept the Chargers last season.

No matter how much outside help Rivers requests, the Chargers will always be a “draft and develop” organization.

“The draft is your lifeblood,” said GM Tom Telesco. “Those are the players you can really hand-pick into your system and groom in your system. You can’t do that as much in free agency.”

Speaking of developing draft picks, there are three quarterbacks finishing up their rookie deals that are in-line for massive extensions, as well.

That list starts with Andrew Luck, who has a realistic chance to become the league’s first $200 million player. He averages more than 4,300 yards per season, has twice as many TDs and INTs (86 to 43) and gains over 7 yards per attempt. He gets better every season and led the Colts to last season’s AFC Championship Game.

The Colts have gone all-in this offseason, adding Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Kendall Langford and Trent Cole. But they key to contention is Luck and everyone in Indy knows it. The team may try to hold of an extension talks until next offseason — Luck still has two seasons left on his contract — but his price tag is only going to go up.

Said Colts GM Ryan Grigson: “That’s not our focus as of right now. There will obviously be a time and place to have those discussions. Obviously we want Andrew here for a long, long time and we’ll take those steps. But right now, that’s not priority number one.”

Fellow 2012 draftee Russell Wilson will not command as much money as Luck, but he won’t be far behind. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but his efficiency and leadership are incomparable. He has found sustained success in the zone-read offense and is a perfect fit in Seattle, where he has led the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowl appearances, including the franchise’s first Super Bowl triumph after the 2013 season.

Because Russell was a third-round pick, he only has one year remaining on his rookie contract. That cranks up the pressure on the Seahawks to get a new deal in place before training camp opens in August, not that Wilson would allow his contract to become a distraction.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought anything about it,” Wilson said shortly after his team’s Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. “You know, I obviously want to play in Seattle forever. That’s my goal, and I want to be with this organization. I love this organization. I love this city. I love these fans, and I love winning here.”

The final QB on the “watch list” is another zone-read signal caller, Cam Newton. His case is the murkiest of them all and how the Panthers handle his situation will be extremely interesting.

Newton has led the Panthers to back-to-back NFC South titles, the first team in the division’s history to accomplish that feat. He has put up some monster numbers as a passer and a runner, averaging over 3,600 passing yards per season and accounting for 115 total touchdowns (including 33 on the ground). The problem is a closer look at his game film shows a player who struggles to consistently go through his progressions. He overthrows the ball way to often (which is hard to do when Kelvin Benjamin is your No. 1 receiver) and still lacks control and touch.

The Panthers want to keep Newton. You need a quarterback to compete in today’s NFL and Carolina does not want to start over at that position. In spite of that, there is no way GM Dave Gettleman can justify giving Newton a contract in the Luck/Wilson range. The productivity just isn’t there. If Newton — always a star in his own mind — holds out for those kind of dollars, things could get messy.

While negotiations can be messy, trying to win a championship without an upper-echelon QB is downright slovenly. That is why all the above teams are going to pay and pay dearly to hang out to their franchise QBs. It’s the cost of doing business and, right now, business is good.

Which QBs should be first in line for new deals? Discuss it with Michael Lombardo during his weekly NFL Chat on Friday at 2pm EST. But you don’t have to wait until then … you can ask your question now!