Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger officially retired from the National Football League he announced on Twitter on Thursday morning.
Roethlisberger, who spent his entire 18 seasons with Pittsburgh, retires as a two time NFL Champion, was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004, a six time Pro Bowler, and was the leagues passing leader in 2014 and 2018. The 39-year old veteran from Lima, Ohio (Ohio University) finished with a record of 165-81-1 as a starter, with 64,088 passing yards, 418 touchdowns, 211 interceptions, and a 64.4% completion percentage. He also added 1,373 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. “The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition,” Roethlisberger said. “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.”
Pittsburgh is now expected to try to make a run for a free agent quarterback in the off-season, as several big names will be available including DeShaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers. Mason Rudolph was the second string behind Roethlisberger, with Dwayne Haskins as the number three. The Steelers finished second behind Cincinnati in the AFC North this season and lost to Kansas City 42-21 in the Wild Card Playoffs, where Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in his final game.
