By the time Ben Roethlisberger officially retired, it had long been expected that he would hang up his cleats at the end of the 2021 season. The future Hall of Famer recently spoke about his final campaign, including the relatively lukewarm support he received from inside the organization to remain for one more year. 
When speaking to Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the (now) 40-year-old recounted the feeling amongst the franchise’s power brokers regarding the possibility of him playing an 18th season with the team. A compromise allowed him to take a pay cut and return in a way which didn’t compromise the Steelers’ cap situation.
“It was mostly [former GM] Kevin [Colbert]” Roethlisberger said. “He was ready to move on. I think [head coach] Mike [Tomlin] was a little ready to move on, but I think he was OK with me coming back. I think [owner] Mr. [Art] Rooney really wanted me to come back last year to play.”
With the six-time Pro Bowler at the helm, Pittsburgh qualified for the postseason and – as was the case throughout the entirety of Roethlisberger’s career – avoided a losing record. His level of play, not surprisingly, continued to drop off (with a QBR of 35.6, the second-lowest total of his career), as it had for years. Having gone through one more year, though, he is clearly at peace with his decision and the team’s somewhat unexpected level of success in 2021.
“I thought I went out on my terms. I never wanted to stay too long. I know some people might think I did… But I thought I played pretty well last year, to be honest. My arm feels like I still could go out and play. I’m pretty confident I could still play… [But] I’m fine with where I’m at with everything.”
The Steelers have moved on to Mitch Trubisky in the short term at the QB position, drafting Kenny Pickett as, they hope, a successor for Roethlisberger down the road. While it remains to be seen how much success either has with the franchise, their parting of ways with a team icon can be considered amicable, all things considered.
All time favorite athlete. I’ll for sure miss him. Big Ben is my childhood
As a Browns fan you can’t take away what he did on the field and how he owned that division for many years , he beat the hell out of my browns time and time again and had historic matchups with the ravens and patriots as a fan of a rival team I enjoyed watching him play he was one tough sob and a great QB. But you always gonna have the message boards filled with the guys who take the low road with the cheap comments
You act like everyone didn’t beat the hell out of the browns
This was a good laugh
Well stated. I guess it always comes down to where fandom ends. To me, there are a great many guys in professional sports who would be difficult to root for if you took their character into account. These allegations about Roethlisberger are one thing and the reputation he garnered here in town over the first half of his career only seemed to further the belief about the kind of guy he was.
But there can be little doubt that someone in the Steelers org was savvy enough to mentor him into finding Jesus, having a wife and kids and being a big contributor to police organizations.
I’ve never been a big fan of his, but at what point do people find using the same old needle doesn’t hold much weight? He was never charged and it all seems like maybe he grew up
I do disagree with his comments about holding on too long, though.
You know who else was never charged? I remember your comments about Watson
Unfortunately for him, Father Time doesn’t take no for an answer either.
Neither does Big Ben if he’s cornering women in restrooms.
So Ben feels he went out on his terms? Then why suggest the arm feels great and he could still play? Those concussions appear to have done more damage to his brain than he’s willing to admit.
Funny how these same people on here defending Roethlisberger for RAPE want Watson thrown out of the league for exposing himself to touching a woman.
You mean like Browns fans who continually used the same old epithets for years but will now cheer their own QB, who has 20+ allegations, right? Please. Once again, your logic is as twisted, as usual.
“Defending rape?” Maybe it’s the father in me that believes any man who forces himself on a woman deserves ‘extreme’ punishment. It can’t be excused. But the realist in me realizes that athletes, actors and politicians seem to live with a different set of laws, where money can make anything “go away”
Like Roethlisberger? You gotta remember that he was accused of RAPE…TWICE. Watson was never accused of that. I never condemned Roethlisberger for what he did, but I’ll most certainly condemned the hypocrisy of some on here.
I’m trying to remember my comments about Watson. I questioned the Browns front office in signing a guy with the kind of baggage he has, a guy who will face some sort of suspension. I’ve lauded the Browns roster as they under-performed the past couple of seasons. I even have said that Baker wasn’t a bad QB and likely deserved better treatment.
Where Watson is concerned, I couldn’t even begin to discuss the details of exactly what he was accused of
It has to be possible these days to root for your team without going into the character of individual players. The Steelers are a perfect example, whether it was Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Leveon Bell or various others. They’re not the Steelers of my youth and I suspect long standing fans of any team can likely say the same
Everyone on here has someone on their team who has done something. Like I’ve said, I trust the investigation. Ray Lewis, Pacman, Roethlisberger….3 that were accused but never charged. I don’t believe law enforcement take into consideration that the athlete plays a sport. Now if you have video like Mixon, Hunt and Ray Rice, that’s a different story whether they’re charged or not. I’ve never ripped any of the aforementioned guys. I’m not the judge or jury and I don’t need to get my morality from an athlete. What I do have a problem with is all the people on here who are calling for Watson to be kicked out of the league but are unwilling to say the same about their teams.
Law enforcement isn’t the problem. That only comes when the lawyers or representatives get involved and charges or dropped or accusations go away. You don’t know the full story on any of the aforementioned athletes. No one other than the inner circle does. To that end, it’s nonsense to try to discern the idea of being “accused” and not accused. In a legal sense, being charged is the ultimate point of delineation and not the argument you are describing.
You wish to castigate Steelers fans for standing by a guy accused of rape while drawing a line between he and Watson because the accusation never came to fruition, likely thanks to a savvy legal team
In the end, it all amounts to an elitist—a pro athlete, a millionaire—who tried to push the boundaries where a woman was concerned. Tell it like it is. You can be the fan of a team and just root it on irrespective of the characters who are on the team. But if the idea is to make personal attacks, at least be consistent about the guys you root for
You’re right. It’s hypocrisy
It’s hypocrisy on your part. I’ve never once condemned Roethlisberger. I’ve never called for any suspension on anyone. Not Roethlisberger. Not Ray Lewis. Not Joe Mixon. You guys are the ones calling for a Watson suspension but bypassing calling Roethlisberger out for being accused of something worse than Watson. That’s being a hypocrite. I’ve never once said Watson shouldn’t get a suspension. He should. Up to 8 games. Steeler fans on here are the worst. Good luck finishing 4th for years to come
You’re painting with a broad brush, backer. I’ve never called for anyone’s suspension either and as stated previously, don’t profess to know all the facts. And where both Watson and Roethlisberger are concerned, that goes for you, too
My only comment about Watson continues to be that it was a risky signing, especially if it is a lengthy suspension
And finishing 4th? Stop back in January
The Steelers have the worst talent in the division. Not even close. You don’t win with a backup caliber quarterback and a poor offensive line. Their defense has to prove they are improved. They were ranked 24th last year. You can’t just blame that on a couple of average DT. I’ve never once called for a suspension on any player or commented on a possible suspension. Not on Kamara. Not on Hopkins. Not on AB. I’m just calling out the hypocrisy of those on here that like to pick and choose. There’s one loudmouth on here that is a huge Astros fan but wants Watson suspended or jailed. The Trashtros stole a World Series but he’s ok with that
Are you really so committed to being the worst of the worst?
You’re laughing at people for downplaying rape charges in the same sentence in which you downplay Watsons rape charges.
There are sick people following every team and you’re definitely one of them. But, as you point out, there are fans of other teams who are just as sick as you are.
Congratulations?
Watson was never accused of rape. Ever. And no I’m not accusing Roethlisberger of anything, I’m accusing the hypocrites on here who aren’t but are so willing to do it for Watson. Do you understand that? It’s called consistency
You really have a reading comprehension problem. Go back to school
Ben Rapelisberger, just wanted to type that out
Yes, I took the low road, no regrets
Congratulations on graduating from the 8th grade.
Thank you. I also enjoy dick and fart jokes.
Not sure what planet Kevin Colbert was living on, as the Steelers didn’t seem to have a backup plan if Roethlisberger didn’t come back in 2021. Everyone saw what Rudolph and Haskins were capable of in 2020 – and it wasn’t much.
Mitch?
he was a free agent last year too
hmmm
He was on earth with the rest of the sane fans who knew Ben wasn’t going to take us anywhere and that it was time to rebuild.
Rooney deciding to instead go for profit after dealing with the pandemic is understandable but let’s not pretend it was a good idea from a competitive or developmental perspective.
I’m not sure who you could have thrown behind the worst o-line that I personally have ever seen and expected to do half as well. A smart veteran like Roethlisberger makes any o-line better, which is the only reason that any of those plays worked at all.
Somewhere along the line, GM’s were made to not see beyond the shelf life of franchise quarterbacks because drafting a stud in preparation for the future might insult the franchise QB.
Look at the Rodgers drama last summer. Roethlisberger was the same kind of diva. We even heard from crestfallen Ryan Tannehill, that the Titans had the audacity to draft Malik Willis without consulting him
Amazing that GM’s have walk on egg shells so as to not hurt the ego of their previous QB’s
The bummer is the arm issues could have been worked around much more effectively if he accepted coaching and not being in charge.
What is your basis for this comment? Just curious.