The Steelers may be looking for their next quarterback soon. Here are four realistic options if Ben Roethlisberger retires.
It’s not been a week since the Steelers were defeated by Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but we are already seeing that some major changes may be underway in this off season. Mike Tomlin spoke to the media at his annual post-season press conference on Wednesday afternoon, and was very vague about which players and team members would be returning to the team in 2021.
One of the names mentioned was Ben Roethlisberger. Last year, at this time, Tomlin assured the media that Roethlisberger would return, but he did not make that very clear in his recent press conference. There are rumors (although not yet confirmed) that Maurkice Pouncey would retire in this off-season, and there is a chance that Big Ben will give up with him.
After finishing the season with just 1 win in the last 6 games (counting the playoffs), Roethlisberger can legitimately hang up his boots this off-season. If that’s the case, here are four defenders who could realistically start with Steelers in 2021:
Matt Stafford
This seems like an unreal dream, but it is not so out of reach. In fact, if Ben retired, I would almost expect the Steelers to make a move for him. Lions are looking for a new general manager, and it has been reported that Matthew Stafford could be negotiated while seeking to rebuild the team. What better landing point for him than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who already have a solid squad and a good defense?
For that to happen, Roethlisberger must retire, as the Steelers quarterback is expected to cost Pittsburgh $ 41.25 million against the ceiling in 2021. With most of that money out of books, Pittsburgh could offer a respectable choice to hire Stafford, who still has three years left in his business at a very reasonable cost.