End Of An Era

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger confirmed Thursday that this Monday night’s game against the Browns will be the final home regular season game for the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in his career.

Roethlisberger, 39, still holds out hopes the Steelers (7-7-1) can win their final two games, starting with Monday night’s game against Cleveland (7-8) and win the AFC North, thus securing an additional home game. But he is sure this will be his final season one way or another.

“I don’t ever speak in definites or guarantees. That’s just not what I have ever done or who I am, but looking at the bigger picture, all signs are pointing to this could be it — regular season, that is,” Roethlisberger said on a chilly wet day at the practice field at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex. “I know we still have a chance to get a playoff game there if things fall our way and things have to happen. But in the grand scheme of things, in the regular season, signs are pointing that this could be it.”

Roethlisberger has toyed with the idea of retirement in previous years, but has never openly spoken about it during the season.

He took a $5 million pay cut and restructured his contract to save $15 million in salary cap space to return this season, his team-record 18th with the Steelers, who selected him in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

“I was excited for this season, and I still am. We’re not having this conversation because it’s all over. We’ve got a really important game this week, which is going to be the most important game of the season,” Roethlisberger said. “Coming in, I felt this team was special. We knew we were going to have some obstacles to overcome and we’ve had them. We’ve had some unforeseen ones, which is what the NFL is all about. 

“Coming into this season, I’ve always been one that wants to fulfill my obligation to the team with my contract. I don’t have a contract for next year. I guess the writing was on the wall from them. I wouldn’t say I had my mind made up by any means. But I would say I had my mind made up coming into this season that I was going to give everything I had to win a Super Bowl.”

Roethlisberger had done that twice with the Steelers, leading the team to the Super Bowl after both the 2005 and 2008 seasons. He also guided the Steelers to a Super Bowl berth in 2010, but the Steelers were beaten by the Packers in that game.

Roethlisberger takes a 163-81-1 regular season record into Monday night’s game. But what he’d really like to add to is his 13-9 record in the playoffs.

His career wins rank fifth on the all-time list, while his 13 playoff victories are tied with Brett Favre for sixth-most on the NFL’s all-time list.

That’s why he has been hesitant to make any big announcements regarding this season or the upcoming game against the Browns — until today.

“I just want to win the football game. That’s all that matters to me. That’s always been my thing,” Roethlisberger said. “I found out last week that I’ve got 91 wins at Heinz Field. I broke a tie with Brett Favre (for wins) in one facility. That will always mean more than yards and touchdowns — wins. 

“I’m sure you can go back to my very first press conference because some of you guys were here, all I ever said I wanted to do was win. That’s what’s most important to me. So, that’s what is going to be most important, going out, I don’t care if it’s 3-0, just to win a football game because it’s so important for our season right now.”

Roethlisberger might not care about the stats, but he has plenty of those, as well.

The future Pro Football Hall of Fame member ranks fifth on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list with 63,721. His 416 passing touchdowns rank eighth on the all-time list. He’s third on the all-time list in fourth-quarter comebacks with 40.

Roethlisberger had surgery and fought to come back for the 2020 season, leading the Steelers to a franchise-best 11-0 start to that campaign. But the Steelers stumbled down the stretch, finishing 12-4 and then getting beaten in the opening round of the AFC playoffs by the Browns.

Roethlisberger returned again for the 2021 season, but with many of his former teammates now gone. He has invited a number of his former teammates to come to Monday night’s game to be there along with his family.

But, he also wants one last chance to run out of the tunnel and see the Terrible Towels twirling for what has become a big game for the Steelers. They need to win their final two games and have the Bengals (9-6) lose their final two — against the Chiefs and Browns — to win the AFC North championship.

“It’s a lot of things. It’s 18 years. It’s nearly half my life giving to this city and this team and the fans,” Roethlisberger said. “The fun thing is that I still know I have it in the tank to go out this week and next week and give it everything I have, to do everything I can to get us into the postseason. That’s ultimately the goal, to win a Lombardi. That’s still my goal. We’re not out of this thing yet.

“The emotions will start to kick in. They already have when you think about it. I think I’m able to put those emotions on the back burner because of the focus of what we have to do to win this game. This is a team that’s hungry. It’s the Browns. It’s a division opponent. They’re hungry to get a win, too. I can’t sit here all week and be nostalgic and think about everything my career has been when I’ve got to focus on this game because this is the most important game of the season for us.”

And once Roethlisberger is done, he’s done.