The Pittsburgh Steelers found their quarterback of the future when the team selected Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph. While it would appear this is the best fit for the third-round draft pick, Rudolph may not see the field for the next 3-5 years. Starter and grizzled veteran Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t plan on putting away the football just yet.
“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 told the Pitsburgh Post-Gazette.
There was some speculation during the season that this might be Roethlisberger’s last season following a five-interception performance in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now it would appear the selection of Rudolph has Ben Roethlisberger hyped and ready to start the 2018 NFL season. The conversation of retirement has been volleyed back and forth about the Steelers’ signal caller, dating back to 2016. Roethlisberger is one of the tougher quarterbacks in the league, but has suffered injuries in recent years that has potentially forced him to consider his future.
Rudolph was the 76th pick in last week’s draft. Some analysts had the Steelers grabbing him with the 27th pick in the first round. Five quarterbacks heard their names called in the first round last Thursday night.
Ben Roethlisberger played college football at Miami University (Ohio), and was drafted by the Steelers in the first round (11th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. The same draft class with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.
Per the story on ESPN.com, Ben Roethlisberger committed to the 2018 season immediately following the 45-42 loss in the playoff to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Center Mike Pouncey, one of Roethlisberger’s closest friends on the team told ESPN that Roethlisberger had informed him that he wanted to play three more seasons.
“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,” Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. “The way our O-line is put together, as good as they are, they kept me healthy as can be the last couple of years. I really feel I can play this game another three to five years.”
That’s good news for Steelers’ fans and a bit of a dilemma for Rudolph, the one the organization hopes is the future of this team.