Immediately following the Pittsburgh Steelers' disappointing 45-42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon, the attention has turned to the long-term future of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
In the last couple of years, there has been serious speculation centered on Roethlisberger possibly stepping away from the game. However, the 35-year-old put all the chatter aside for at least one more season as he has stated he will be back for his 15th campaign in 2018, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.
“I definitely have a desire to play football. I love this game. I love these guys. It's tough, it stings, you hate to lose at home. I feel bad because I feel like I let the fans down, let my teammates down, Roethlisberger said following the Steelers loss to the Jaguars in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs. “I don't know about contracts and whose coming back but I know the guys up front are, and that makes it good for me, so I look forward to next year with those guys.”
Although falling short once again in the playoffs is not the outcome that the Steelers had hoped, the return of Roethlisberger keeps stability at the most important position on the team. He still has two more years left on his four-year, $87.4 million deal that runs through the 2019 campaign.
Roethlisberger had previously hinted at retirement before as he stated last year that he would take some time to contemplate returning for the 2017 season after the Steelers fell short in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. In fact, he waited until last April to officially announce that he would be back for the 2017 season.
The six-time Pro Bowler is still playing at a high level after finishing fifth this season with 4,251 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, 10th with a 64.2 completion rate, and a 93.4 passer rating. He also showcased just that in the divisional round loss to the Jaguars completing 37-of-58 passes for 469 yards with five touchdown passes.
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