Will Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has set numerous team and NFL records.

After he went down with a serious elbow injury last season, some wondered if Ben Roethlisberger had played his last snap with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Roethlisberger has already led the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl victories during his career while breaking numerous team passing records. He’s accomplished a lot since first stepping foot in the NFL in 2004, so it’s hard to imagine that many would have had an issue with him retiring after his injury if that’s the decision he ended up making.

Despite being 38-years-old though, Roethlisberger is back and ready to help Pittsburgh’s passing attack get back on track after a disappointing performance last season.

How long will the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback have to wait before becoming a Hall of Famer?

As the Steelers’ leader in just about every passing category imaginable, Roethlisberger will likely receive his own bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. But will the Pittsburgh quarterback be one of the lucky former players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during his very first year on the ballot?

28 quarterbacks have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 14 of them were selected when they appeared on the ballot for the first time, including former Steelers signal-caller Terry Bradshaw.

Of these 28 quarterbacks who have a bronze bust in Canton, Roethlisberger has more career passing yards and passing touchdowns than 26 of them. Brett Favre and Dan Marino are the only two current Hall of Famers who have higher numbers in these two categories than the current Pittsburgh signal-caller.

Some might look at the fact that Roethlisberger has never earned a First-Team All-Pro selection and think that could possibly prevent him from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, Warren Moon and Troy Aikman were never picked as a First-Team All-Pro during their NFL careers and both were voted into Canton during their first years on the ballot.

Something that could end up preventing Roethlisberger from getting into the Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility is when he decides to retire.

If he ends up hanging it up at the same time as guys like Tom Brady or Drew Brees, it’s possible that the Steelers quarterback would have to wait another year or two before he’s voted in. Three passers getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year has only happened once and it was all the way back in 1965.

So is Roethlisberger deserving of becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Of course he is. But how long it takes him to get in might depend more on who else is on the ballot at the same time and not exactly what the quarterback did during his career in the NFL.