Seth Udinski, FISM News
In a move expected by many, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement today after 18 seasons in the NFL.
The 38-year-old “Big Ben” is beloved in Pittsburgh and will go down as one of the best quarterbacks of the modern NFL era. He is likely to enter the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Roethlisberger announced his retirement in a video message on Twitter.
The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition. 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.
When thanking those who had impacted his career, Roethlisberger, an outspoken Christian, thanked the Lord first:
First and foremost, I need to thank the Lord for all His blessings He has bestowed on me.
A message from Ben:@steelers #NFL #SteelersNation #ThankYou#HereWeGo #LoveAndHonor pic.twitter.com/pUbKGO1nUs
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 27, 2022
Roethlisberger’s retirement is the end of an era for a Steelers team that, when it drafted him in 2004, found its first significant franchise quarterback since Terry Bradshaw in the 1970s. He won NFL rookie of the year in his first season and led the Steelers to a dominating 14-2 regular season, before falling to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.
In his first five years, he led the Steelers to two Super Bowl championships, in 2005 against the Seattle Seahawks and 2008 against the Arizona Cardinals, which brought the franchise’s all-time total to six, tied with the New England Patriots for the most in NFL history. He led the team to a third Super Bowl in 2010 but fell to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Roethlisberger finished his career with 64,088 passing yards, good for 5th on the all-time career passing yards list. He was 165-81-1 as a starter in the regular season, and 13-9 in the postseason.