Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger’s last ride?

Ben Roethlisberger has outlasted 2004 NFL Draft contemporaries Philip Rivers and Eli Manning but is the 2021 season the Steelers quarterback’s last ride?

The 2004 NFL Draft feels like it was just yesterday; 17 years have gone by extremely quickly. While the top of the draft was unfolding with drama, all Pittsburgh Steelers fans wanted was a quarterback. They got a lot more than they could have ever hoped for with Ben Roethlisberger.

Fans had grown frustrated with the Steelers after the 2003 season. They’d seen enough of Tommy Maddox while also watching Jerome Bettis get benched for Amos Zereoue, leading to a terrible offense. When this team isn’t playing well, the spirit almost drains out of the entire city.

But that changed on April 24, 2004. Eli Manning was going to be the No. 1 pick — that much was certain. Philip Rivers came off the board soon after, though the Giants and Chargers negotiated a trade to swap the two quarterbacks. There was terror and fear among Steelers fans in the back-end of the top 10 selections, though.

Sure, Pittsburgh could’ve used an offensive lineman or a defensive playmaker. But after watching Maddox, a fine backup but a less-than-stellar starter, the Steelers needed someone who could be a difference-maker at quarterback after seeing Maddox, Neil O’Donnell, Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham and numerous others trotted out at the position.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ fortunes changed with Ben Roethlisberger in the 2004 NFL Draft

Everything changed when the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the clock at No. 11. The franchise received new life when Ben Roethlisberger picked up the phone and on the other end was Bill Cowher. That was probably one of my favorite memories as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Even at the time, though, nobody knew that there would be two Super Bowl victories coming in his career or that he could be a possible first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

But now, it might be the end of the line. At 39 years old and with murmurs of retirement, the 2021 NFL season could be the quarterback’s last.

Of course, there was a time not too long ago when it seemed like Roethlisberger’s run might’ve already come to a close. The quarterback suffered an elbow injury in 2019 that caused him to miss the rest of the season. Some doubted that he would return to the field after that but, when the 2020 season came around, he led the Steelers back to the playoffs.

If this is the end, though, thank you, Ben Roethlisberger.

Thank you for the tough wins, for never giving up. Thank you for bringing the Steelers back in the most clutch of manners. Thank you for Super Bowl XLIII when Larry Fitzgerald seemingly ended Pittsburgh’s hopes of another ring but Big Ben marched the offense down the field to throw a game-winning touchdown strike. And thank you for the moment that led to, Dan Rooney being handed another Lombardi Trophy.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase should be forever grateful the 2004 NFL Draft fell the way it did. Who knows when the franchise will find another quarterback of this caliber. But there’s no doubt that the time with Roethlisberger has proven to be an unforgettable and fruitful journey.