NFL News: Ben Roethlisberger holds off retirement, returning for Pittsburgh Steelers next season
'Big Ben' aiming to get another Super Bowl championship
After some unfinished business last season, Ben Roethlisberger is returning for another season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran starting quarterback has confirmed that he will return to play his 14th year with the only franchise he has suited up for in his NFL career.
There was some speculation of a Roethlisberger retirement this 2017 NFL offseason. But the Steelers fans can stop worrying now after the veteran QB announced his return for the upcoming NFL season.
"As an organization, we have been hopeful that Ben would return this year. Ben and I have had many conversations, and I understood at this point in his career he is going to have to think about his long-term future,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated via the team’s official website.
“There is no question Ben wants to win [another] championship for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we know he will do everything possible to lead our entire team to achieving that goal.”
Roethlisberger considered retirement after the Steelers’ defeat in the AFC Championship game in the last NFL postseason. The Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 30-12 in the 2016 AFC Wild Card game then won a close one over the Kansas City Chiefs, 18-16 in the AFC Divisional Round match-up.
However, the team came up short of a Super Bowl LI appearance after losing to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, 36-17 in the AFC title game.
"[I will] take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options, to consider health and family and things like that, just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season, if there's going to be a next season," the long-time Steelers QB stated after their season was over.
Nicknamed “Big Ben,” Roethlisberger led the Steelers to two NFL Championships. He helped the team win in Super Bowl XL in 2006 over the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10 and then in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 over the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23.
For his career, Roethlisberger has recorded 46,814 passing yards on 3,804 of 5,932 completions with 301 touchdowns and 160 interceptions. He holds the franchise record for most passing yards and most passing touchdowns for Steelers quarterback.
Ben Roethlisberger is already 35 years old but he is still seen as one of the better quarterbacks in the league. In his 13th season in the NFL, he registered 3,819 passing yards on 328 of 509 completions with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
