Long-time Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday, taking to social media to do so in a two-minute video with his wife, Ashley, and three kids.
“The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition,” Roethlisberger said. “Yet the time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football a truly grateful man.”
The 39-year-old spent 18 years in the NFL, all with the Steelers, after he was selected 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft — the same draft that yielded Eli Manning for the New York Giants and Philip Rivers for the San Diego Chargers.
Roethlisberger retires with a Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume having won two Super Bowls while being named to six Pro Bowls. His 64,088 career passing yards rank fifth in NFL history only behind Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre.
He also completed 64.4% of his passes with 418 touchdowns (eighth all-time) in 249 career games.
Roethlisberger’s retirement has been speculated for a few seasons, now, but he opted to return for the 2021 season after the Steelers went 13-3 two years ago.
They didn’t achieve nearly that much success this season, going 9-7-1 — yet they still managed to sneak into the playoffs where they were disposed of by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round.
Roethlisberger’s retirement is the first major development of an offseason that could include movement among many prominent passers around the NFL.
Tom Brady is weighing retirement after his Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from the NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams.
Green Bay Packers veteran Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team is uncertain after another disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
Another All-Pro in Russell Wilson could be on the move from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason as trade rumors continue to persist.
