The Steelers rattled off 11 straight wins to start the 2020 NFL regular season, and all seemed well in Pittsburgh. The offense was humming with Ben Roethlisbergerback in action after a right elbow injury kept him off the field for nearly the entirety of the 2019 campaign.And then the losing streak began. The Steelers dropped three consecutive contests from Week 13-15, falling to the Washington Football Team, Bills and lowly Bengals. The offense became predictable, and defenses pushed down toward the line of scrimmage, e sentially daring Roethlisberger to prove he could beat them deep. Pittsburgh won the AFC North title, but the finish was notexactly inspiring.MORE: After the
Aaron Ness Jersey Steelers' season ended with a lo s to the Browns in the 2021 playoffs, it's now clear they need to prepare for the end of the "Big Ben" era. Roethlisberger, 38, wasthe fourth-oldest quarterback to participatein this postseason behind Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. There are only so many throws left in that arm.Will Roethlisbergerchoose to hang on for at least one more season? Or will Pittsburghhave to launch a new quarterback search soon?Will Ben Roethlisberger retire after 2021 NFL playoffs?Roethlisberger hasn't publicly stated how he will approach his decision, but in late December that "barring a change of heart, Roethlisberger intends to fulfill the terms of a contract that has one season remaining on it after this one." (Unle s the Steelers restructure Roethlisberger's contract, the cap hit for next season will be $41.25 million. If Pittsburgh cuts or trades him, it would be stuck with $22.25 million in dead cap.)Following the lo s to the Browns in the wild-card round, Roethlisberger told reporters he still enjoys playing football but didn't go into much detail about his future."I still have
Braden Holtby Jersey a year left on my contract. I hope the Steelers want me backif that's the way we go," Roethlisberger said. "There'll be a lot of discu sions, but now's not the time for that."Was this Big Ben's last game in Pittsburgh? PFF (@PFF) While a return appears to be the most likely outcome for the six-time Pro Bowler based on the available information, it should be noted that Roethlisberger has seriously consideredretirement before. His wife, Ashley, told Roethlisbergerlast offseasonthat she would understand if he wanted to walk away from football instead of undergoing elbow
Ilya Samsonov Jersey surgery and working his way back to the field."I told him that I was only going to say this one time," in the "Bigger than Ben" docuseries. "I wanted him to hear me and then mark my words, not gonnabring it up again, but if he felt content where he was with the career that he's had and it was on his heart to just be done, I would support him 100 percentin that. He doesn't have to worry about my feelings in all that. I want what he wants."So I was basically just handing him permi sion to retire if that's where his heart was, and I was gonnasupport him in that. And he listened, and you could tell he really took it to heart and thought. And he said, 'Thank you, but I don't feel done. I'm not done.'"Steelers' quarterback options if Ben Roethlisberger retiresLet's say Roethlisberger does have a change of heart and tells the Steelers he is done, or the Steelersdecidethey areready to move on. How would Pittsburghfill the
Devante Smith-Pelly Jersey void?Mason Rudolph is under contract for one more year, and he put together a nice performance in the regular season finale(315 yards pa sing, two touchdowns, one interception against the Browns). However, Rudolph is better known for getting than anything else he has done in nine career starts. Pittsburgh may not trust Rudolph as the guy to succeed Roethlisberger and keep the Steelers contending in the nearfuture.Pittsburgh could select a quarterback with its first-round pick at the 2021 NFL Draft. Sporting News' Vinnie Iyerhas the Steelers taking Florida's Kyle Trask :Trask was up to the task leading a sizzling Gators pa sing game confidently with his arm, accuracy and athleticism, which got him into the first-round conversation. The Steelers may prefer North Dakota State's Trey Lance or Alabama's Mac Jones and cango after either in a trade up, but regardle s they need to consider using this pick to somehow replace Ben Roethlisberger, retirement or not. With his raised efficiency and smart use of diverse weapons, Trask would be a great fit with their offensive coaching.If the front office wants to addre s other areas early in the draft, there are options on the trade and free agency markets. Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford orCarson Wentzmay be availableif the Steelers are willing to give up the nece sary a sets. They could also call free agents such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.Dak Prescott might be nothing more than a pipe dream, but they couldgauge his interest level. (Obviously they would have to check his medical info, and financial limitations could make this a nonstarter.)The only thing we know for certain: It's
Martin Fehervary Jersey going to be a fascinatingoffseason for Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
