Ben Roethlisberger all but announced his upcoming retirement Thursday morning. Speaking with reporters day before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final regular season home game against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger said this is “likely” his last game at Heinz Field.
That tweet comes from the PPG’s Gerry Dulac.
Here is video of Roethlisberger’s comments courtesy of KDKA’s Richie Walsh.
“I don’t ever speak in definites or guarantees,” he told reporters. “That’s now what I’ve ever done. But looking at the bigger picture, I would say all signs pointing that this could be it. Regular season, that is. I know we still have a chance to get a playoff game in things fall our way and we take care of business. In the grand scheme of things, in terms of regular season, signs are pointing that way that this could be it.”
Rumors over Roethlisberger’s retirement have swirled for months but this is the first time Roethlisberger has publicly acknowledged he is likely to retire after this season ends. Roethlisberger has been with the Steelers his entire career, drafted 11th overall in the 2004 draft.
Roethlisberger said he would not consider coming out of retirement next season if the Steelers ever came calling. The clip via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
“No,” Roethlisberger said with a smile when asked. “I don’t think they’d ask me to come back. I’ve been here long enough.”
The Steelers have two regular season games left this season. Monday night at home against the Browns followed by a Week 18 road game against the Baltimore Ravens. Team playoff hopes are still alive though the Steelers are no longer in control of their destiny. They’ll have to win out and get help to have a chance. There’s even a chance for a playoff home game. That would require winning the AFC North, accomplished if the Steelers win out and the Cincinnati Bengals, who finish the year against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, lose out.
Roethlisberger is not fully committing to retiring after the season but every single report and educated guess, on top of what he said today, indicates he will. He’ll be turning 40 years old next year and his contract is set to void, making the decision to “move on with life’s work” a logical one.
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