
Ben Roethlisberger is only 34 and just led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC Championship Game, but he apparently is starting to think about retirement.
During an interview with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Roethlisberger apparently did not commit to playing next season.
Ben Roethlisberger on @937theFan won't commit that he will play next season. Implies he's open to retirement.
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 24, 2017
Ben on @937theFan still referring to next season often. Still sounds extreme longshot he wont be back
But 3 occasions he left that door open https://t.co/hf3tnNwfU9— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 24, 2017
Here’s the transcript:
Ben Roethlisberger’s exchange with 93.7 The Fan about his retirement flirtation. pic.twitter.com/SkeUCQEjJV
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 24, 2017
Even though he did not definitively commit to playing next season, it sounds like Roethlisberger still expects to return.
Roethlisberger paints hazy playing future, says @937theFan he’ll be ‘praying a lot’ about ‘17 and beyond, eventually pointed to returning
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 24, 2017
Roethlisberger just completed his 13th season in the league. He’s taken a lot of hits and suffered many injuries during that time, including a knee injury this season. Yet Big Ben continues to play at a high level. He passed for 3,819 and 29 touchdowns in 14 regular season games this season.
Roethlisberger signed a 5-year, $99 million deal two years ago and is under contract with the Steelers through the 2019 season.