3 reasons the Steelers are wrong by retaining Roethlisberger

Slim chances in 2021

All of this doesn’t even consider the fact that the Steelers are set to regress in 2021. No matter who is throwing the ball, the team will lose way too many pieces to both the offense and defense to avoid regression. On the offense, the line will lose quite a few critical pieces while the defense will lose multiple starters. While some of these players already have in-house replacements, others will be replaced by lackluster options.

At this point, it will be surprising if this team makes the playoffs. While Roethlisberger likely makes this team an 8-8 group, it doesn’t matter when he is likely to retire after next year. They will have a mediocre draft pick with little in-season success. As opposed to this, the team could have let Rudolph run the offense. While they may end up losing more games, it could lead to a better future for the team long term.

Even more so, Rudolph could build off his game against the Browns and have a half-decent season. The Steelers won’t likely be competitive naturally, but Rudolph could have still looked good enough to warrant another deal or even the franchise tag. At the very least, the team would have given Rudolph one final chance to show that he can be the franchise quarterback before entering free agency. With Roethlisberger, none of this gets determined as the team caters to him during his final season.

While the story is nice for Roethlisberger to go out on his own terms, it simply isn’t the best move for the steelers. While the team will certainly go through a rough stretch without him as their quarterback, jump-starting that rebuild gives them the best chance of a quick turnaround. Will the Steelers win more games with Roethlisberger? Probably, but it won’t be enough to change the regression the team will suffer through.