Roethlisberger wants to make Rudolph wait five years to be Steelers QB
Ben Roethlisberger is not in the business of grooming young quarterbacks.
He told reporters on Tuesday he wants to play another three to five years, health permitting, and 2018 third-round pick Mason Rudolph will be waiting a while before taking over as Pittsburgh's starting QB.
"If he's going to be their guy, that's great, but in my perfect world it's not going to be for a while," Roethlisberger said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger, 36, has been a modicum of health in his career, never playing fewer than 12 games in a season, and he said if things stay that way, he plans to run the offense for the better part of the next decade.
"I went and talked to Art [Rooney II] and coach [Mike Tomlin] and coach Randy [Fichtner] and basically said, 'Listen, I can't control – barring major injuries, barring things at home, and things out of your control – the way my body feels. The way our O-line is put together, as good as they are, they kept me healthy as can be the last couple years. I really feel I can play this game another three to five years.'
"I'll still take it one year at a time and give it everything I have that one year, but that's what I felt comfortable in telling them."