Ben Roethlisberger, the legendary quarterback who spent his entire 18-season NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, revealed that he had the chance to play for another team during his final year as a pro. The statement was surprising, given his long-standing legacy.
As he approached the final games of his career, Pittsburgh restructured Roethlisberger’s contract to make it more cap-friendly—something that may have prompted other teams to consider him as a trade target or free agent option.
In that context, Big Ben didn’t hesitate to make the revelation on the Sports Spectrum podcast, where he said: “At the end of my career, I had the opportunity to go play somewhere else, and I chose not to. I chose to come back to Pittsburgh… because I couldn’t see myself in any other place.” It surely would’ve been a strange image.
What team could Roethlisberger have joined?
While Roethlisberger didn’t reveal the team’s name, it’s known that in late 2022, after his retirement, the San Francisco 49ers reached out to his agent due to injuries at the quarterback position. Big Ben said, “They called just to gauge my interest… I’d be lying if I didn’t say a small part of me was intrigued.”
Roethlisberger also explained that his contract restructure after the 2020 season could have made it easier for him to play elsewhere the following year. However, things stayed on course and he was able to retire as a Steeler.
When did Roethlisberger retire?
Roethlisberger said goodbye to professional football with a win over the Cleveland Browns on January 3, 2022, and cemented his legacy as a one-team legend. He finished his career with 64,088 passing yards and 418 touchdowns, ranking fifth and eighth in NFL history in those categories at the time of his retirement.