Ben Roethlisberger Gives Bold Take on What Steelers Should Do at Quarterback

The Steelers are looking for a new head coach after Mike Tomlin’s departure, but the team could likely be searching for a new quarterback for the 2026 season, too.

Aaron Rodgers could still return to Pittsburgh this fall if he chooses not to retire, but he would have to sign a new deal with the Steelers. There have been contrasting reports as to what Rodgers will decide about his future, so we’ll see what happens in the coming months. Regardless, the Steelers need to find a long-term solution since they’ve had seven quarterbacks star since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season.

As for the Steelers’ long-term solution at the quarterback position, Roethlisberger gave his two cents this week on his podcast Footbahlin’. The Super Bowl champion believes that Pittsburgh should wait a few years before drafting a quarterback because he believes the team should build up the roster before bringing in a young QB, similar to what the team did when he arrived in 2004.

“I would not draft a quarterback for at least two to three years. That's just my opinion,” Roethlisberger said. “The issue that I see with a lot of teams is they get a quarterback and they try and build around that quarterback. I think it should be the other way around. I think you should build a team and put your quarterback in it.

“It happened to me. [The Steelers] had a great football team. They plugged me in. We had a veteran group. It just works. It works better than trying to grab a quarterback and be, O.K., we're gonna build around this quarterback, because then it's gonna take you four or five years to build around that quarterback. He's probably gonna look like poo up to it and then you're like, is he really our guy? Is he not our guy?”

Pittsburgh fans might not agree with their former quarterback, though. It’s been years of inconsistency at the QB position—the team and the fans may not want to wait another three or four years for an answer. This year’s draft will be telling for the Steelers’ future plans. The organization may hold off on drafting a quarterback until next year’s draft, which is predicted to be more quarterback heavy. That way, the new coach—whomever it is—will have a year under his belt to help develop the roster before bringing in a new starting quarterback.

The Steelers have a lot to figure out before the 2026 season.

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