How many years does Ben Roethlisberger have left in the tank?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an aging quarterback leading the charge. Here’s how many years Ben Roethlisberger likely has left in the tank.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the NFL’s most winning franchises during the 2000s. Much of this credit is due to landing future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.

Though Big Ben has played just 4 full seasons in his 16-year NFL career, only the Patriots have boasted a better record since Roethlisberger was drafted back in 2004. With Ben at the helm, not only have the Steelers won two Super Bowls and appeared in a third, but they’ve also never had a losing season – their most recent coming one year before Roethlisberger was drafted.

Recently, videos of the Steelers star quarterback have emerged with of him slinging the ball at training camp. While Ben said he did not undergo Tommy John surgery this offseason, he admitted that the three torn tendons from his throwing elbow was still a very serious surgery.

As a result, it’s still very unclear how Roethlisberger will hold up in 2020. This begs the question: How many years does Big Ben have left in the tank?

Is Ben still the Steelers QB of the future?

Roethlisberger signed an extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason that will earn him a whopping $91.2 million over the course of three seasons, according to Over the Cap. Though the star quarterback has two years remaining on his current deal, that may not be enough to take him through the remainder of his career.

Recently, Ben came out and said that he has intentions to win ‘Lombardis’. The fact that he says that with a plural raises questions as to how much longer the quarterback intends to play.

Obviously, Roethlisberger’s health will play a large role in determining how long his career lasts. Currently 38 years old, there’s little doubt that Ben will play the final two years of his deal. However, it’s been rumored that the Steelers could give Roethlisberger an extension in an effort to free up some cap space for the 2021 offseason.

If this does indeed prove to be the case, it’s likely the Pittsburgh Steelers could lock him up through the 2023 NFL sesaon. At this point, Roethlisberger would be 41 years old and ready to hang up his cleats for good.

It’s also important to remember that while Ben may like to keep playing, much of this will depend on his level of play. If Roethlisberger begins to show a significant drop off in play over the next two seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers may not want to keep him around as long as he wants to be there (much like the case with Eli Manning in New York last year).

At some point, we know the Steelers are going to move on from Ben Roethlisberger. They will soon draft a quarterback who is groomed to take his spot and become the new face of the franchise. Right now, however, Ben wants to play and Pittsburgh is going to continue to give him that chance. With another short extension rumored, I predict Big Ben playing three more seasons and retiring at the age of 40 after the 2022 NFL season with one year remaining on his future extension. We will see how it plays out.