The Pittsburgh Steelers are still trying to find their way at the quarterback position. It has been a struggle offensively ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, and Pittsburgh has gotten nothing but inconsistent play from the position. The organization tried to find an immediate fix by drafting Kenny Pickett in the first-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but that did not work out as the franchise traded him after two seasons with the team. The Steelers still sit in quarterback-purgatory as the 2025 offseason continues, and the franchise will have a hard time competing until it finds a solution at the position.
Quarterback is the most important position in sports, and it is nearly impossible to be a competitive team in the NFL without a top-tier player at the position. The health and safety of the quarterback is always prioritized, however that doesn't mean injuries can't happen. This was seen in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season as Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury during his debut with the New York Jets that caused him to miss the rest of the season. This threw off New York's plans for that season, and in order to fix the quarterback position, the Jets actually reached out to Roethlisberger.
The former quarterback shared this on an episode of the Nateland podcast hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze when he was asked whether or not he ever considered coming out of retirement.
"Yeah, when guys go down, your agent will get a call," Roethlisberger said. "You know, like Aaron got hurt in New York with his Achilles. My agent would be like, 'Hey, any interest?' I'd be like, 'Zero.'"
Roethlisberger never had any interest in coming out of retirement, but that doesn't stop teams around the league from being interested whenever they get desperate. When Rodgers went down at the start of the 2023 season, it was heartbreaking for New York, especially after the franchise had such high hopes after acquiring the four-time league MVP.
Roethlisberger had already been removed from the NFL for a full season at the time the Jets called, so it is hard to believe he would have been able to lead them to any sort of successful season. However, during Roethlisberger's first season of retirement in 2022, he was contacted by the San Francisco 49ers after Jimmy Garoppolo went down, before the emergence of Brock Purdy.
"Yeah, they contacted my agent as well," Roethlisberger said.
The former Pittsburgh quarterback has had plenty of opportunities to come out of retirement and suit up for another team, but he is perfectly happy with the way his life is going without football. He has been playing golf while watching his podcast take off, and he has also been able to help out his kids in their own sports. It is hard to imagine Roethlisberger ever would have seriously considered a comeback to the NFL, especially if it wasn't with the Steelers.
Steelers Have Had Multiple Instances To Contact Ben Roethlisberger
Teams seem to contact Roethlisberger's agent when they are desperate at the position, and the Steelers have had a couple occasions to do that. During the 2023 season when Pickett was injured and Mitch Trubisky got benched was one incident. Prior to Mason Rudolph becoming a hero and leading the Steelers to three consecutive wins, Roethlisberger had to of been a name that the organization had thought of. It was before a new offensive coordinator was hired, so Roethlisberger would have known the system fairly decently, and it would have been interesting to see.
Even now, the Steelers could contact Roethlisberger. The team still doesn't have a starter for the 2025 season, although the organization is patiently awaiting a decision from Rodgers on his future.
