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Pittsburgh Steelers' legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement Thursday morning.
Roethlisberger played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and had a legendary run, winning two Super Bowls while making three appearances. No other player in NFL history has played longer for one team than Roethlisberger.
On Thursday morning, Big Ben's Twitter account tweeted a compilation video titled, "A message from Ben," announcing his official retirement and thanking Steelers and NFL fans.
" I don't know how to put into words how much the game has meant to me and what a blessing it has been. Well I know with confidence I've given my all to the game I am overwhelmed with gratitude what it has given me.... yet the time has come for me to clean out my locker, and hang up my cleats.
Ben Roethlisberger's accomplishments in the NFL
Roethlisberger has been one of the best quarterbacks in the 2000's era and of all time. His rookie season was sensational, where he led the Steelers to a 14-1 season, including 13-0 in the regular season when quarterback Tommy Maddox was hurt. Roethlisberger also won rookie of the year. Roethlisberger is a six-time Pro Bowler who led the league in passing yards in 2014 and 2018. Big Ben retires with the 5th-most passing yards (64,088) and is 8th-all time in passing touchdowns (418.)
Roethlisberger retires with a career record of 165-81-1. The Steelers made the playoffs 12 seasons of the 18 while Ben was their quarterback. He has the record for most completions in game (47) and has the most 500+ yard passing games with four. Ben is also the franchise leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions for the Steelers.
What's next for the Steelers at the quarterback position?
Following Roethlisberger's retirement, the Steelers have a big position to fill this offseason. Whether it is addressed in the NFL Draft, Free Agency, or via trade, the Steelers will have a new quarterback under center for the 2022-2023 season. The Steelers could go in the direction of going with backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.
One name to look out for replacing Ben as the Steelers' next quarterback is Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, who declared for the 2022 NFL draft. The Steelers could also be aggressive in pursuit of acquiring a veteran quarterback like Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson or potentially Aaron Rodgers. Whoever it is that takes Roethlisberger's spot will be filling big shoes and will be obtaining a playoff-ready team.
