Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has announced his retirement.
In a video posted to Twitter with his wife, Ashley, and three kids, Roethlisberger put an end to a career that spanned 18 years, all in Pittsburgh.
"The time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football, a truly grateful man," Roethlisberger said, reading from a prepared statement.
It could be a landmark season for prominent quarterback retirement decisions.Tom Brady, 44, is weighing walking away from the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite leading the league in passing yards.
Ben defied the TB12 Method in favor of the "Throw Some Ice On It" method his whole career, and ended up an all-time-great with 6 Pro-Bowls and 2 Super Bowls. There's more than one way to bake a cake! https://t.co/ue36KXTHnk
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 27, 2022
Aaron Rodgers, who completed his 17th season in Green Bay, is at a career crossroads and said retirement is on the table.
Brady took to Twitter to show his appreciation of the 39-year-old Roethlisberger.
"Ben defied the TB12 Method in favor of the 'Throw Some Ice On It' method his whole career, and ended up an all-time-great with 6 Pro-Bowls and 2 Super Bowls," Brady wrote. "There's more than one way to bake a cake!"
Roethlisberger completed 64.4% of his passes for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns in 249 career games, 247 of them starts for the Steelers. He led the Steelers to 41 fourth-quarter comebacks and 53 game-winning drives in his career.
He leaves with a record of 165-81-1. Roethlisberger was the 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
