“I thought about it” – Ben Roethlisberger reveals he pondered pulling Tom Brady-like unretirement to join NFC contenders
Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired last season. Having won two Super Bowls in his career, Big Ben's last game in the NFL was the Wildcard Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
On the 'Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger' podcast, the former Steelers quarterback claimed he thought of returning to the NFL and signing with a contender in the NFC.
Roethlisberger claimed that after seeing Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending injury, he thought of returning to football and playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
“I thought about it," Roethlisberger said. "That team is one of the better teams in football and that defense is really stinking good and they did it with Purdy.”
The 49ers have started with Brock Purdy as their quarterback and he is playing exceptionally well with all the tools around him. Not only Ben Roethlisberger, but many other quarterbacks as well, would love to play for the 49ers.
The current 49ers team is a dream for a quarterback. They have the best defense in the NFL and with all the weapons on the offensive end, many could put up MVP numbers.
Most Pass TD with at least 25 Air Yards this season for 49ers
Brock Purdy 2
Christian McCaffrey 1
Jimmy Garoppolo 0 https://t.co/Edxm6wK6s6
The 49ers may have rejected idea of bringing Ben Roethlisberger in
Although Big Ben has shown interest in playing for the 49ers, it is extremely improbable that the 49ers feel the same way about him. After all, they previously passed on the opportunity to bring Tom Brady on board, and it demonstrates their mindset of what they need in a quarterback.
They are happy to move on with Brock Purdy as their quarterback for the present time. Jimmy Garoppolo could potentially make a return in the latter stages of the postseason, but this is yet to be determined.
Brock Purdy talks #SFvsSEA and preparing to face the Seahawks. https://t.co/SD92AhEnYi
Trey Lance will also return to the field next season. If Brock Purdy continues to succeed with the 49ers, the organization will be in a tough position to cope with all of their quarterbacks, especially if they want to keep Garoppolo.
As for Big Ben, it seems unlikely that he will ever return to the field. In his last few seasons in the league, it was quite evident that Roethlisberger's time was coming to an end.
#Steelers QB Kenny Pickett going through practice this afternoon. @937theFan https://t.co/gfojYc8EEi
A new era in Pittsburgh has also begun with Kenny Pickett and it will be interesting to see how he grows in that position.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Footbahlin with the Ben Roethlisberger podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.