It would be quite the shock if Ben Roethlisberger decided to call it a career at some point this offseason, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has still yet to fully commit to playing in 2017.
While speaking at the Ignite Men’s Impact Weekend conference at Liberty University on Friday, Roethlisberger was asked if he intends to play next season.
“I’m leaning towards it,” he said, according to the Observer-Reporter.
After the Steelers lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Roethlisberger said he was going to “take some time away” and evaluate whether he wants to keeping playing. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said he was taking Roethliberger seriously, but team president Art Rooney II said he is confident Big Ben will be back.
Roethlisberger is coming off another very productive season, though it ended on a sour note. He turned 35 earlier this month and has battled a number of injuries in recent years, so nobody really expects him to be playing like Tom Brady at age 40. This actually isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has contemplated retirement, but it would still be quite a shock if he decides to hang it up. We’d expect him to play at least two more seasons.
