Given how miserable the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback situation was in 2019, you would think the team would be thrilled to have Ben Roethlisberger back from injury in 2020.
Not so fast.
Fox Sports analyst and former NFL defensive lineman Chris Canty reported on First Things First on Tuesday morning that “there are people in the Steelers organization praying that Big Ben retires.”
Canty noted that Roethlisberger retiring would better help Pittsburgh manage the salary cap and that the two-year, $68 million contract extension that the Steelers gave Roethlisberger last offseason “looks like an awful deal right now.”
Roethlisberger played in just two games this past season before going down with an elbow injury in Week 2 that knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
As a result, Pittsburgh had to use Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges under center, and while the Steelers were still able to contend for a playoff spot, it certainly wasn't because of the play of either of those two signal-callers, who hurt Pittsburgh's chances more than anything else.
Roethlisberger, who turns 38 years old next month, was drafted by the Steelers back in 2004 and has spent his entire career with the organization, making six Pro Bowl appearances and leading the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships.
In 2018, Roethlisberger led the NFL with 5,129 passing yards and threw for 34 touchdowns, but he also tossed a league-leading 16 interceptions.
Pittsburgh went 8-8 this past season, marking the second straight campaign that the club failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, the Steelers have not had a losing season since 2003.
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