3 reasons Randy Fichtner’s departure could spell the end of Ben Roethlisberger

The Steelers are making some major changes. Here’s why Randy Fichtner’s departure could spell the end for Ben Roethlisberger.

After finishing the season with a record of 1-5 (counting the embarrassing playoff loss to the Browns), we weren’t surprised to see the Steelers start to make changes in the offseason. However, I’m not sure anyone expected this many changes this early. Less than a week after being eliminated from the playoffs, Pittsburgh’s brass already let go of three coaches – one of which was offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner.

This is a move that fans have been pushing for on social media for some time now, as the ‘fire Fichtner’ train has been in full force since early in the season. The Steelers have decided not to renew the contract of their offensive coordinator after a disappointing end to the season that saw Pittsburgh score just 19.6 points per game over their last 6 regular-season contests.

Fichtner clearly wasn’t getting the job done, but what does his departure mean for Ben Roethlisberger? Will this be enough to cause the aging quarterback to retire? Here are three reasons why Randy Fichtner’s departure could spell the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era:

Ben had a hand in hiring Randy Fichtner

It was no surprise that Ben Roethlisberger and former offensive coordinator Todd Haley didn’t exactly see eye to eye. Despite accounting for some of the most productive offenses in Steelers history during his tenure as OC from 2012-2017, Pittsburgh decided to let him go after a 13-3 season in which his team made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. However, because of the tension between Roethlisberger and his offensive coordinator, the  Steelers let him go.

Ben Roethlisberger supposedly had a hand in hiring Randy Fichtner as the next offensive coordinator, and they had a much better relationship. The Steelers decision to let Fichtner walk away could be added motivation for Roethlisberger not to return.