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Following the completion of his 14th year in the NFL, the discussion around Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's long-term future has remained a prominent topic.
Like he stated following the Steelers' disappointing divisional round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars back in January, Roethlisberger voiced on Tuesday that he wants to play three to five more seasons if his health holds up, according to Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Unlike others, he does not see Rudolph as his successor in a year or two. That’s because Roethlisberger, 36, believes he will play another three to five years and has told management and his coaches as much.
“Well, that’s fine. He can do that,” Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette on Tuesday about the rookie someday taking over as the Steelers starting quarterback. “But I plan on playing for three to five more years, depending on how the line goes and staying healthy, if I can stay healthy.
“If he’s going to be their guy, that’s great, but in my perfect world it’s not going to be for a while.”
Roethlisberger had previously flirted with the idea of retirement after the 2016 NFL season, but his tone has changed since then with plenty of desire to continue to play beyond the final two years of his current deal. What has helped him remain high on that premise is that he is still performing at an elite level.
In the 2017 season, Roethlisberger with 4,251 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, 10th with a 64.2 completion rate, and a 93.4 passer rating. This was his fifth season with more than 4,000 passing yards and seventh with more than 25 passing touchdowns. He certainly showed his continued effectiveness under center in the divisional round loss to the Jaguars by completing 37-of-58 passes for 469 yards and five touchdown passes against a stout Jacksonville secondary. In fact, he was the first player in league history to lose a playoff game despite throwing five touchdown passes.
Ultimately, all of this will hinge on his ability to stay relatively healthy to allow him to continue to perform to the best of his capabilities in this latter portion of his career. In the meantime, the Steelers have potentially brought aboard his possible replacement down the line in Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph in the third round of this year's draft.
