The Pittsburgh Steelers have a storied past of quarterbacks, with Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw and legend Ben Roethlisberger leading the pack. Names like Roethlisberger are synonymous with fans and NFL staff alike, and Roethlisberger could still be a serviceable backup quarterback or mentor in today's NFL. Apparently, the San Francisco 49ers disagreed, or thought they found someone better.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrates after winning his second Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger was the Steelers' starter from 2004 until he retired in 2022. During his career, he racked up accolades including Rookie of the Year, six Pro Bowl selections, and two Super Bowl wins. He also threw for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns as a Steelers QB. With such an impressive resume, you might expect that a team in dire need of quarterback depth during a deep postseason run would look Roethlisberger's way for some much needed help, or at least some mentorship for young players. The 49ers decided to go a different route and target another retired quarterback.
A Desperate Call
The 49ers have as deep of a quarterback history as any team in the NFL, but things have fallen off the past couple of years for the Bay team. Jimmy Garoppolo was their long-time starter for a couple of years, but he constantly battled injuries and below average quarterback play. He was then signed to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2023 offseason. Brock Purdy has emerged as the clear QB1 in San Francisco, after former third overall pick Trey Lance hasn't been able to perform as expected in the NFL.
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The Steelers passed on Brock Purdy in the 2022 NFL Draft, as they opted to draft Chris Oladokun instead in the late seventh round.
In the 2023 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy injured his elbow and was removed from the contest. With both Lance and Garoppolo nursing long-term injuries, the 49ers turned to fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson, who fought with all his might, but couldn't lift the 49ers to the Super Bowl, losing 31-7. It was a disaster for San Francisco and left them with no quarterback depth, to the point where fullback Kyle Juszczyk was listed as an emergency QB.
San Francisco then contacted Philip Rivers, a retired quarterback who previously played for the then San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers as well as the Indianapolis Colts, collecting eight Pro Bowl nods in his career. Rivers retired a year before Roethlisberger in 2021 and went to coach at a high school in his home state, Alabama. Rivers led the Chargers to six postseason appearances and four division titles, but never appeared in a Super Bowl.
Do the Steelers Have the Better QB?
The 49ers had complete faith in Rivers, thinking he was the guy for their needs. Roethlisberger says that he was in contact with San Francisco for an emergency quarterback position, but insider Tim Kawakami believes that it was only Rivers in the conversation.
"[The 49ers] believed Rivers was ready to go, and they believed that he would be as prepared as possible to jump into action during the playoffs, if they needed him. If you know [Kyle Shanahan], you know he would've wanted a QB he could trust to be prepared," Kawakami explained. "Rivers probably will be that guy until he's 50. I think Roethlisberger stopped being that guy two or three years before he actually retired."
Roethlisberger has been recently looked at as an out of shape, out of touch retired player, with no aspirations of coming back to the field or being involved. Roethlisberger himself said that he was in contact with San Francisco for an emergency job, but Kawakami denies those statements. Roethlisberger has had a more successful and decorated career over roughly the same period as Rivers (both drafted in 2004).
While Rivers has more Pro Bowl selections, Roethlisberger has an Offensive Rookie of the Year award along with two Super Bowl wins. A Super Bowl winning quarterback is rare, and a repeat is rarer. Since the 49ers were looking to make the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, it seems like a quarterback with rings would be a good option to at least inspire confidence and have some deep, important experience playing in the postseason.
What do you think of San Francisco's quarterback situation? Did they make the right decision by trying Rivers? Let us know your thoughts in a comment!
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