Mike Tomlin addresses Ben Roethlisberger retirement rumors

Over the weekend, news broke that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will reportedly hang them up after the 2021 season, ending his Hall of Fame career after 18 seasons in the NFL.

Roethlisberger has played his entire NFL career with the Steelers, having been drafted by the franchise in 2004. He was there when the organization hired head coach Mike Tomlin in 2007, just one year after he served as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.

Tomlin and Roethlisberger have developed a unique bond over the years, winning two Super Bowl titles and taking the Steelers to new heights. When asked of his quarterback’s impending retirement Sunday, Tomlin smirked and diverted attention elsewhere, stating that the team is hardly focused on that storyline.

“Ben doesn’t allow it to become an issue,” Tomlin said. “Ben has been pretty solid in terms of his expressions that he’s singularly focused on what we’re doing now. He’ll deal with those things on the other side of his journey, and I’m with him on it. So it’s not a distraction. I thought it was funny that it was seemingly a story this weekend, to be honest with you.”

Tomlin comments on Roethlisberger’s reported retirement

Tomlin’s comments came shortly after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday afternoon that Roethlisberger has privately told former teammates and some members of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that this year will be his final season before retiring.

Roethlisberger has not made any statement to the public about retiring, nor did he answer any questions on the matter in the preseason; as Schefter noted, with the Steelers likely to be in the playoff hunt towards the end of the season, he probably won’t make such a declaration until the season ends.

“But he and those within the organization are now operating as if he is entering the final five games of his Hall-of-Fame career, with two of them fittingly coming against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh’s opponent Sunday and in the final regular-season game as well,” Schefter wrote.

Roethlisberger’s contract ends after the conclusion of the 2021 season, and it appears as though he will retire rather than seek any sort of extension. Should the Steelers opt to proceed with one of its two backups, the organization would have to choose between Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.

Roethlisberger has thrown for over 62,000 passing yards in his 18-year NFL career, which ranks sixth in NFL history, and twice paced the NFL in passing yards. He’s thrown 410 touchdowns, good for eighth most in NFL history, to 207 interceptions, completing 64 percent of his NFL passes, and he’s also rushed for 1,374 yards and 19 touchdowns.

After last season, some expected Roethlisberger to retire. However, he was quick to come back after the Steelers extended the offer, saying in June “if they wanted me back, I felt I could give them everything I got.” He took a pay cut this year, which he said was his idea, and “was necessary to do that” for the team’s betterment.

A product of Miami (OH), Roethlisberger, a sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback, led the Steelers to a Super Bowl XL win over the Seattle Seahawks and a Super Bowl XLIII win over the Arizona Cardinals. When Roethlisberger retires, he would step away from the NFL as the Steelers’ all-time leader in wins, touchdown passes and passing yards among quarterbacks.

Roethlisberger’s play has declined of late, and he’s not looked as effective as in years past. Though Roethlisberger has thrown for 2,522 yards and 14 touchdowns, he’s also thrown six interceptions, as his decision-making has not looked up to par.