Will Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey retire when Ben Roethlisberger does?

The Steelers have some aging Pro Bowl players on their roster. Will Maurkice Pouncey call it quits when Ben Roethlisberger elects to retire?

Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey have had a special connection over the years. For nearly a decade, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback has entrusted Pouncey to deliver a good snap, play after play, and keep defenders out of his face. That could soon be coming to an end for the Steelers.

After a nearly decade long relationship between Pouncey and Roethlisberger, could the two Pro Bowl players elect to retire at the same time?

As I’m sure you are aware, Ben Roethlisberger is no spring chicken anymore. At 38 years old and coming off a major elbow surgery that ended his 2019 season after just two games, he will look to bounce back in 2020 in an attempt to lead the Steelers to another Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, statistics show that Ben’s efficiency has taken a dip over the past few years, and the eye test shows us he isn’t the same player he was in his early 30s. Despite leading the NFL in passing yards in 2018, Roethlisberger was tied for just 17th in the league in touchdown percentage, was 12th in completion percentage, 14th in yards per attempt, and 15th in passer rating (96.5), according to Pro Football Reference. Ben also led the NFL in interceptions with 16. But he’s not the only one in this boat.

Maurkice Pouncey is coming off perhaps the worst season of his nine-year career. Despite earning Pro Bowl honors in 2019 (a fan-voted achievement, by the way), Pouncey really struggled in 2019. He earned an overall grade of 51.5, according to Pro Football Focus – grading out as the 33rd best center among 34 qualifying players last year. It was by far the worst grade he had received in his career.

With Pouncey and Roethlisberger both being on their last legs, they may decide to call it quits at the same time. Developing chemistry between a quarterback and a center isn’t something that happens overnight, and these two players have played mainly with each other for the majority of their careers.

Both players have contracts that will expire after the 2021 season – which could be a good time for them to hang up their cleats.

After 14 combined Pro Bowl appearances over 25 combined NFL seasons, this chapter of Maurkice Pouncey’s and Ben Roethlisberger’s lives will soon be coming to an end. The question they will need to answer is whether or not they wish to continue to move on without one another or if they should retire together.