At the time of his retirement in January 2022, there seemed to be some tense moments between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger as the veteran quarterback felt like he could still play and offer something to the team moving forward.
But in the years since, that animosity has disappeared and Roethlisberger is at peace with his time on the field being up.
Appearing on the Steven Weathercroft podcast on YouTube with the former PGA Tour golfer, Roethlisberger stated that he knew his time was up due to the age gap with teammates, and is enjoying his time now as a father and a husband, knowing that he had his time on the field and now gets to do what he loves most: being a family man.
“I was ready to go. You know, I think it probably gets harder for people that don’t get to go out on their own terms, right? Like, when it’s like they’re either cut, they’re traded, they’re whatever it may be, they name the sports different things that happened. I knew that it was my last season. I got to play that last game at home at Heinz Field at the time against Cleveland on Monday night, where I knew it was my last home game going into it,” Roethlisberger said of retirement, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I think that makes it a lot easier. I think the other thing that made it a lot easier for me is, the locker room had changed so much that last year that I played. [Maurkice] Pouncey was gone. [David] DeCastro was gone. Al [Villanueva], Ramon [Foster], like all my guys were gone that I shared so many blood, sweat, and tears and games with.
“I think the next closest guy in age to me was like 14 years. It just so that it’s so hard to connect. I was closer in age to more coaches than I was players, and that’s hard to connect with guys. So it was like, you know what? This is it for me. I know like, my body’s ready to be done. I’m gonna, I’m gonna hang up on my own terms. It’s my last go. I think that made it a lot easier.”
Being the old guy in the room and not having those interpersonal connections with teammates was hard for Roethlisberger, who came up with a group of guys, established relationships and went through numerous battles with them, having great success in the process.
As those guys aged out though, Roethlisberger remained. That age gap and lack of experience together was hard for Roethlisberger in the end, ultimately leading to him knowing his time was up.
It’s interesting he admits that now though, considering he was still making some comments about wanting to play and believing he still could at the time of his retirement, along with some of the reporting from the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac that there was some animosity present at the end of Roethlisberger’s career between player and franchise.
Shortly after his retirement during an interview on 102.5 WDVE, Roethlisberger stated that he was content with retirement, but added that the Steelers didn’t want him back. He also later revealed in years since that he had a chance to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 season, an opportunity he ultimately passed on.
It was clear at the time of Roethlisberger’s retirement though that his physical state was deteriorating quickly — at least with his lower half — and he wasn’t a fit in Matt Canada’s offensive scheme in Year 1.
He still believed in his arm being NFL caliber, but his lower half and mobility just weren’t there. It was time.
Now he gets to be a father and a husband and is very involved in the athletic feats of his children on the golf course and other sporting surfaces. It is what he should be doing, and it’s good he got out when he had the chance.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss the game though. In fact, there’s one thing he does miss: getting the ball late in the game and his team needing a drive.
“I remember when I got done, people would always check me, ‘Hey, how you doing? Do you miss it?’ I don’t miss not one ounce of me misses it. Now I’ll miss — I shouldn’t say that. Fourth quarter, two minutes to go. Lights are on? I’m like, ‘Ooh, I’d love to have the ball right now,'” Roethlisberger said. “But my body felt better. I feel healthier than I’ve ever felt. And honestly it was time for me to go be focused more on being a dad and a husband, and I’ve done that, I think, pretty well my last like five, six years of playing. But I wanted to really, like, it’s time for my kids.”
Roethlisberger was great in those moments, so it’s not a surprise he misses it and still wants the ball in those situations.
But it’s good that he’s come to grips with the fact that his time was up and it was on to bigger and better things in life. He seems to be thriving in his post-playing career, and that’s great to see.
Check out the full interview with Roethlisberger below.
