Ben Roethlisberger has been one of the most iconic players in Pittsburgh Steelers history, but his time with the franchise is coming to an end.
We have been speculating all season long that this would be it for quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. All signs have been pointing in this direction for quite some time now.
Last offseason, it almost appeared as if the Steelers were preparing to move on from their long-time franchise quarterback before Roethlisberger elected to take a massive pay cut. Sadly, his efforts to return for one last ride proved to be futile, and Pittsburgh really had a disappointing season in 2021 — Roethlisberger included.
I have been an advocate for a Steelers rebuild for years now. In fact, I suggested at the time that it was a mistake to give Ben a 2-year, $68 million extension in 2019. While he was able to move up the list of all-time passing leaders over the past few years, he was paid as one of the top players in the league — production we clearly didn’t see on this contract.
But I don’t want to make this about Pittsburgh’s questionable financial moves. I have been as hard on Ben Roethlisberger as anyone over the past few years. It’s evidence that his arm talent, velocity, and mobility have greatly diminished from what they once were, but this is still our legendary quarterback and he has offered one incredible ride along the way.
Steelers fans must be thankful for Big Ben
The Pittsburgh Steelers were 6-10 the year before Roethlisberger came along. While they have had some very promising seasons prior to his arrival, they were a very average NFL team for a 20-year span before Big Ben joined the squad.
From that point on, the Steelers received new life. Roethlisberger led them to a 15-1 record in his rookie season and won the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks in his second year in the NFL. The franchise quarterback would go on to win one more Super Bowl and numerous playoff games over the years en route to winning 66 percent of starts over the course of his career.
Because of this, the prolific quarterback helped the Steelers surpass the Cowboys and 49ers while tying the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history. Roethlisberger also proved to be one of the best fourth-quarter players in the NFL. According to Pro Football Reference, Big Ben recently moved into 3rd place all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks — trailing only Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
I know that Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a fraction of the player he once was, but Steelers fans far and wide must appreciate the remarkable career he has offered Pittsburgh. This looks like the end for Big Ben, and he will be sorely missed.