The Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching for a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger ever since he hung up his cleats. They’ve tried rookies, reclamation projects, and established veterans with little success. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger has seemingly adjusted to life after football with his podcast.
Just like he was in the NFL, though, Roethlisberger has remained outspoken about his opinions on certain things and certain players.
Just this week, he reignited his rivalry with current Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph. The two have never been close, and Roethlisberger once again made his displeasure with the veteran known.
“Personally, I think [cutting Rudolph] is the smarter move,” Roethlisberger said. “You want to have two young guys because one of those could be your potential quarterback for the next five to ten years.”
He said what many fans feel: that the team should cut ties with Rudolph and hold onto the two young options behind Aaron Rodgers. It certainly makes sense on paper, but his comments feel more personal than that.
Ben Roethlisberger just fired more shots at former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Mason Rudolph
Roethlisberger has made his displeasure known about Rudolph ever since he was drafted. The Steelers traded up for him in the third round, claiming they had a first-round grade on him. While that logic proved wrong, you couldn’t blame the team for trying to invest in their future.
Roethlisberger saw things differently.
He was open about his displeasure with the pick, saying that the team should have spent its resources on securing some immediate help for a Super Bowl run. It was a cold start to their relationship that never warmed up.
After Roethlisberger retired, Rudolph came out and admitted that the two were never close. He was professional, but obviously he doesn’t have many fond memories of the former franchise quarterback.
The two aren’t exchanging Christmas cards, to say the least.
While there is truth to what Roethlisberger said, you can’t help but feel like there was some pettiness in his comment. With no love lost between the two, it feels like Roethlisberger is trying to take a victory lap here.
It isn’t like Roethlisberger was against drafting quarterbacks previously. Landry Jones was taken in the fourth round and served as a backup for multiple years. Josh Dobbs had just been drafted the year before with zero angst from the starter.
Perhaps the issue was the Steelers' perception of him, or maybe their personalities clashed, but the two never got along. Now, Roethlisberger gets to stick the knife in one last time and twist it.
There isn’t an issue with wanting to keep both young quarterbacks. It seemed like Roethlisberger was taking a victory lap with this one, though. He certainly has no issues with saying he thinks Rudolph should lose his job this offseason.
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