Season-ending elbow surgery certainly hasn’t diminished Ben Roethlisberger’s passion for football. If anything, it’s enhanced it. Speaking with reporters for the first time since 2019, Roethilsberger said he has big goals for his return to football. He told reporters we wants to win Lombardis. Plural.
Roethlisberger currently has two Super Bowl rings and been to another. Winning a third – and a fourth – would put him in extremely rare company. Four rings would match him with Terry Bradshaw, who helped lead the Steelers’ dynasty of the 70s. The only ones to win at least three in NFL history are Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, and Bradshaw.
He said a big motivation in his rehab was the chance to win another ring.
“I’m not saying I’ve got 10 years left in me, but I definitely feel like I’ve got some really good years left in me,” he said during the call. “That was definitely a motivating factor, coming back and showing that I still have it in the tank. I still have a lot to give this team. I still have a lot to give the fans.”
Getting back to the Super Bowl means feeling healthy and playing like it. Roethlisberger is on the back end of his rehab from his 2019 surgery where he says he tore three flexor tendons in his elbow. Not only is his arm in good shape, his weight is in a better place than it was a year ago. He told reporters he’s at his lowest weight in “13 or 14” years and by all the photos taken of him, it looks like he’s telling the truth.
“I am lighter than I have been in 13, 14 years and I feel really good,” Roethlisberger said in his meeting with the media. “I feel strong. I feel healthy. I feel young if you can feel young at this age. I am just really excited about this season and the group of guys we have here.”
The Steelers have a chance to go on a Super Bowl run in 2020. Their defense is returning almost all their starters and getting healthy too with Stephon Tuitt’s return. There’s every reason to believe that unit should be no worse than top five this season. The offense is healthy too with Roethlisberger, James Conner, and JuJu Smith-Schuster back. The AFC is competitive, even minus the Brady-less Patriots, but Pittsburgh has as good a shot as almost anyone.
The fact Roethlisberger is even talking about winning multiple Super Bowl rings is a nod to him having no plans of retiring soon. His current contract runs through next season and with the way he’s talking, he may sign another one before his career ends.
