Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger should call it a career

Legacy isn’t tarnished

Too many times in professional sports, we’ve seen some of the greatest athletes in the world fail to recognize when they should call it quits and it leads to their careers not being able to end on their own terms.

Did we really need to see Jerry Rice play for the Seattle Seahawks, Emmitt Smith suit up for the Arizona Cardinals, Ed Reed play for the Houston Texans, or Randy Moss put on a San Francisco 49ers uniform?

Ben Roethlisberger is at the point in his career now where he has the opportunity to hang up his cleats before things start to really unravel for him. Instead of trying to come back and play in 2020 as a 38-year-old and potentially playing worse than he ever has, the smartest thing for Roethlisberger to do would be to retire.

He’s already shown signs of a decline in performance during his last few seasons. While his final numbers may look impressive, Roethlisberger has had some ugly games recently, including a five-interception day against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017.

It may not be the riding into the sunset type of exit he might have liked, but the veteran quarterback should take the opportunity he has now and retire while his on-field reputation is still in good standing.