Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 18 seasons as a Steeler.
In a move which was widely expected, ‘Big Ben’ called time on a glittering career which brought him two Super Bowl rings and saw him finish fifth on the list of all-time NFL passers with 64,088 yards.
Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the playoffs in his final season, bowing out after a 42-21 loss to Kansas City in a Wild Card game at Arrowhead earlier this month.
He said on Thursday: “The journey has been exhilarating, fuelled by a spirit of competition. Yet the time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football a truly grateful man.”
After being drafted 11th overall out of Miami of Ohio in the 2004 Draft, Roethlisberger made an immediate impact in the pros, compiling a 13-0 record as a rookie.
A glittering career
Just a year later he put the Steelers on top of the world by leading them to a 21-10 win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
Roethlisberger would land a second world championship with that epic last-gasp comeback over Arizona in XLIII, and two years later he fell at the final hurdle when losing to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay in Dallas.
In all, ‘Big Ben’ made six trips to the Pro Bowl, and his next assignment should be enshrinement to the Hall of Fame in Canton.
At his peak, Roethlisberger was a formidable opponent with a legendary ability for keeping plays alive. In recent seasons though his physical skills began to diminish and retirement appeared inevitable as the 2021 season progressed.
Next Pittsburgh quarterback?
Now the big question is who replaces Roethlisberger as the starting QB in Pittsburgh, and the face of the franchise.
With the underwhelming Mason Rudolph as backup, it is not as though the Steelers have the heir apparent waiting to take over.
They say timing is everything though, and maybe this works well for Mike Tomlin’s team as there is the potential for a number of high-profile signal callers to be traded this offseason.
Those include the likes of the aforementioned Aaron Rodgers, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Houston’s Deshaun Watson.
With no generational QB talent available in the 2022 Draft, going for a veteran could be the way forward for a franchise which has huge credibility in the league and is a perennial winner.
While the bidding for the above names would likely start with three first-round picks, at least money is not an issue for Pittsburgh. It is currently $34million under the salary cap.
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