Steelers Draft: Considering Life After Ben Roethlisberger

Steeler Nation was hit with a bombshell Tuesday, forcing it to contend with the notion that Ben Roethlisberger won’t be around forever.

During his weekly appearance on KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger implied he may be considering retirement.

"“I’m gonna take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options, to consider health and family and things like that and just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season — if there’s gonna be a next season,” Roethlisberger, 34, said, adding that having retirement on his mind is the “prudent and smart” thing to do at his age."

For what it’s worth, Sean Gentille, who wrote the Post-Gazette article linked above, doesn’t buy Ben retiring so soon. Neither does Ron Cook, co-host of the show Ben appeared on Tuesday. But, what if? If Ben Roethlisberger shocks the world and retires this offseason, how should the Steelers react?

The Steelers may be wise to pick a quarterback early in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft, in which they have the 30th pick overall. Despite his heroics against the 1-15 Browns in Week 17, Landry Jones is not the man to lead the Steelers in the post-Roethlisberger era, whenever that era begins.

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Even if Ben comes back next year, the Steelers may be wise to pick up a quarterback now so he can learn from Ben and ensure a smooth transition, like Brett Favre giving way to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Fortunately, I have just the man.

The Steelers have an elite receiving corps, even if they struggle with social media mishaps and failed drug tests. Who better to take advantage of these tools than Mr. Air Raid, Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech? I’d even consider taking him with the first-round pick, lest someone else snap him up.

Am I crazy? Haven’t I seen the defensive issues this season? Well, this defense helped win 11 games, and the troubles it’s had can’t be remedied through the draft, because the defense’s issue is it’s young in places, not that it’s inherently bad. As the defensive players grow and mature, they will fix the mistakes they made this year.

Besides, Mahomes would be a great fit in Pittsburgh. He passes often and he passes well, a good fit for the Steelers’ receivers, who are a cut above. Mahomes passed for at least 200 yards in every game this past season, his junior year, for the Red Raiders, and his best performance was a stunning 734 yards in a loss (!) to Oklahoma.

It’s a testament to Mahomes’ passing prowess that the Oklahoma game saw his second-lowest completion percentage all year, at 59.1 percent. Have Mahomes slinging the ball around like that and getting to the red zone will be easy. If the Steelers can work out a new contract with Le’Veon Bell, this offense could be unstoppable under a Roethlisberger-trained Mahomes.

Next: Ben Roethlisberger retire? We're not buying it

And if the unlikely happens, and we don’t see number 7 suit up next year? There are certainly worse options under center than Patrick Mahomes.