One of the biggest questions heading into the 2021 season was what the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to do at the quarterback position... That question was answered toward the middle of the offseason when the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger decided to renegotiate a new contract. That new contract is only a one-year deal and as of right now the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger do not know what will happen once the 2021 season ends...
Although Ben Roethlisberger says his arm is feeling good heading into the 2021 season he still is unsure what his plans are going to be after the 2021 season. The 18-year veteran was recently asked if he will retire after the 2021 season and his answer doesn't seem quite clear at this point.
Ben Roethlisberger on Retiring in 2021: "I want to reserve to answer that question until we get into the season a little bit to let you know how my arm feels compared to last year.”
One of the main reasons why Ben Roethlisberger is unsure about retiring right now is he is going to wait and see how his surgically repaired elbow feels during and after the season. Which is fair for Ben Roethlisberger to do. No one knows how this season is going to play out especially with the Steelers having one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. Much of the mainstream media think this will be Mike Tomlin's first losing season with the Steelers and one prominent NFL GM thinks Ben Roethlisberger will be benched by the end of the season.
You can speculate all you want during the offseason, but no one truly knows what type of Pittsburgh Steelers team will take the field once they reach their 53 players after Training Camp. There is still plenty of time left to see how the Steelers 2021 team is going to shape, but one thing is for sure... Ben Roethlisberger has a new best friend in the backfield and he will not be asked to throw the football 53 times a game in 2021.
No matter what the media says about Ben Roethlisberger they never mention that the Steelers are looking to bring their running game back into 2021. The Steelers went 11-0 at one point with a one-dimensional offensive scheme and a terrible offensive coordinator in Randy Fichtner last season. Just imagine what the Steelers are capable of doing when they bring in an elite running back like Najee Harris in 2021 and a new offensive coordinator who knows what he is doing...
If Ben Roethlisberger can utilize the running game a bit more in 2021 and take away some of the wear and tear on his arm the Steelers could preserve him a bit. Depending on how the Steelers play in the 2021 season and if they can go deep into the 2021 playoffs I think Ben Roethlisberger has at least one more season left in him to play in 2022 IF he can stay healthy. That would give the Steelers some time to start figuring out their quarterback situation in Pittsburgh... Although they should have done that three seasons ago.