Philip Rivers, fresh out of retirement, has given Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL fans everywhere something to ponder: Who are the recently retired vets who could come back and give us a hand?
One name Steelers fans can cross off is Joey Porter, Sr., who retired in 2011 but is just four years older than Rivers. Porter learned in real time that Rivers had signed with the Indianapolis Colts on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast. Heyward posed the question to Porter if he’d come back, and Porter's response was the same as you’d expect from most former players.
“Man, you can tell by the way I walk, I ain’t going nowhere,” Porter said. “It’s over. I ain’t trying to play football. I’m trying to talk [expletive] for a living.”
Well, we won’t include Porter, but we can daydream about other Steelers greats who could dust off the cleats and pads to help Pittsburgh make good on a postseason run.
5 retired Steelers fan favorites who could still move the needle in a pinch
Ben Roethlisberger
Where else do you start but with the most decorated quarterback in the 2004 Draft class?
Seriously, when Rivers signed with Indianapolis, one of my first thoughts was “Huh, the Steelers could have just kept Ben Roethlisberger around until now, and not much would be different.” After all, Big Ben is only a year and a half older than Aaron Rodgers and slightly younger than Rivers.
Of course, the idea that not much would be different with Roethlisberger in the lineup over Rodgers stings, but at least it’d be the guy everyone cheered on for nearly two decades as he became the most prolific and productive quarterback in franchise history.
But, maybe if Rivers was willing to answer the call when his (last) team was in a pinch, maybe Roethlisberger would be game to do the same.
James Harrison
If Joey Porter isn’t going to put the pads on again, the next call on the edge is to James Harrison. Okay, he might be the first call. He displays plenty of passion for the team on his new podcast with Joe Haden, and no one will doubt that he isn’t physically up to the task.
Of course, the Steelers have an elite pass rush unit headlined by the franchise leader in sacks, his understudy in Nick Herbig, and the always reliable when available, Alex Highsmith. That’s not a lot of space for Harrison, but he’d be good for keeping the energy right on the defensive side with a well-timed hit stick or two.
Harrison is the oldest player on the list at 47, and, naturally, he’s been out of the game for the longest. Strange how he’d be the least surprising of the bunch to wear the black and gold one more time.
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Le’Veon Bell
There were some problem children on the roster during the Killer B’s era. Le’Veon Bell isn’t excluded from that group, but he is the only one worth giving a call at this point.
Bell’s career spiraled after he sat out the 2018 season, a true inflection point for Steelers fans. But before then, he was one of the most dynamic tailbacks the league had seen, especially through a modern lens. He put up elite stats as a rusher and as a pass-catcher for Pittsburgh while utilizing a uniquely patient stop-start-accelerate rushing style.
His three seasons of production after he left Pittsburgh barely matched his best seasons with the Steelers in 2016 and 2017. While Bell hasn’t played since 2021, he’s just 33 years old. Only Raheem Mostert, who is a couple of months younger than Bell, has logged a carry this season at that age.
Nonetheless, Pittsburgh’s rushing attack is a jumbled mess, and it’s not necessarily because of the runners themselves. Why not throw one of the most talented runners Pittsburgh has ever employed out there and see what he can make of it?
David DeCastro
No shade intended for the man who currently plays right guard in the classic No. 66, but the Steelers lost David DeCastro well before they were ready to. DeCastro played nine elite seasons for the Steelers before abruptly retiring ahead of the 2021 season.
Like many retired offensive linemen these days, DeCastro hardly looks like an offensive lineman anymore, so even at just 35 years old, this one is nothing if not a pipe dream. Still, DeCastro was a Hall of Fame-level talent, as his nomination this year properly acknowledged, and having another such presence in the lineup would be a colossal boon to this year’s team.
That said, the No. 66 at right guard these days, Mason McCormick, is off to a fantastic start to his career. It just would have been nice to have DeCastro these past four years.
Stephon Tuitt
One of the many What-If scenarios from the Killer B’s era was the unfortunate end to Stephon Tuitt’s NFL career. Tuitt quietly walked away from the game after his brother’s untimely passing while also dealing with a lingering knee injury.
Steelers fans have always shown grace to Tuitt for leaving the game under such heavy circumstances. For two years, though, they held out hope that he might return because he was such an incredible player in six seasons of play. In 2020, his final season, Tuitt racked up 11 sacks, bringing his career total to 34.5, which still ranks in the top 20 on the franchise leaderboard.
Tuitt retired in 2022 at 29 years old. Had real life played out differently, Tuitt would be an elder statesman at 32 on this defense alongside Heyward and Watt. He’d probably be inching past several Steelers legends on the sack list, too.