Ben Roethlisberger says 1 NFL team reached out to him about unretiring

Nov 25, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

One team apparently tried to get Ben Roethlisberger to pull a Brett Favre.

Speaking this week in a radio interview with Mark Madden of 105.9 The X in Pittsburgh, the retired ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger said that the San Francisco 49ers reached out to him last year. The 49ers were looking to see if Roethlisberger might come out of retirement after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending broken foot injury.

“Last year, there were some truths to the Niners thing,” said Roethlisberger, per KNBR in San Francisco. “They were, I think, reaching out maybe just to gauge my interest. I had discussions. I don’t want to sit here and say I was going or anything like that. They called me to gauge interest.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a small part of me that was intrigued, like, ‘Oh man, I could still do it,’ and prove to people that I could still play,” he went on. “[But] at the end of the day, I just can’t see myself in anything other than black and gold. Even though they had a great chance, I think, to win a Super Bowl, it would’ve been hard for me to go try and win a Super Bowl anywhere else but here [in Pittsburgh].”

Roethlisberger, who recently turned 41, retired after the 2021 season. He spent his entire 18-year career with the Steelers and accomplished more than enough (with two Super Bowl rings and six career Pro Bowl nods).

In the end, it was a win-win for both sides. Roethlisberger stayed happily retired, and the 49ers discovered a gem of their own with rookie QB Brock Purdy. San Francisco also just brought in a new signal-caller this offseason with Garoppolo now on the Las Vegas Raiders and both Purdy and Trey Lance recovering from injuries of their own.