Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is now heading into his 18th NFL season and his hope is to win at least one more Lombardi Trophy before he calls it a career, which most believe will be after the 2021 season ends. Following an eventful offseason, Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl champion, is now the only player on the Steelers training camp roster who has won a Super Bowl. He’s also a future Hall of Famer and by far the team’s oldest player.
At 39 years of age, Roethlisberger is 10 years older than the second-oldest offensive player on the Steelers’ roster, which is offensive lineman Chaz Green, who was just recently signed to the team. With Roethlisberger now having nearly two decades of wisdom and understanding of what it means to be a Steeler under his belt, he said recently he’s hoping to pass that on to the next generation of Steelers players.
“I think my goal in all this, in all the years and all the experiences I have, is to do the best I can to pass down Steeler tradition and Steeler history, what it means to wear the black-and-gold,” Roethlisberger recently told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “That’s what I try and do every day, just let these guys know what it takes and what it means, and what’s expected of you when you put this jersey on every day.
“It’s something that I don’t know you can ever really put into words for the person that’s not here. But it means a lot. These fans bleed black-and-gold, so we need to bleed black-and-gold. And I do. I think a lot of guys on this field do. Young guys are still learning it. But I think as soon as they step on the field in Week 2 at Heinz Field, and the fans are going nuts, they’re gonna understand what it is to play for this team.”
The Steelers 2021 regular season opener will take place in Week 2 at Heinz Field against the Las Vegas Raiders and that should be quite an event on the heels of how empty the stadium was last season due to the COVID pandemic. You can count on Steelers fans packing Heinz Field for that first home game, and hopefully Roethlisberger can play a part in guiding the team to a win on that Sunday as he looks to lead the franchise back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season.
