Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played what will likely be the final game of his career on Sunday night as Pittsburgh lost to the Chiefs 41-24 in the wild-card round.
While Roethlisberger has not officially announced his plans to retire, he reflected on thehisfuture following the game, telling reporters, “I'm proud to play with these guys.”
“Just a bunch of guys that fought for each other, that fought their butts off and just competed,” he said. “It wasn't always pretty, but there are a lot of games that we found a way. I'm so proud of this group of men and the way they fight for each other, for the black and gold, for our fans. It's just been an honor to play with them.”
Roethlisberger went on to provide insight as to what his future holds away from the field.
“I get to go home tonight, and we've got snow and so the kids are already planning tubing and doing sledding and stuff," Roethlisberger said. "Being a husband and father, it never takes a day off. You got to keep going."
"As we move from one chapter to the next, it's going to be different, but it's going be fun. It's going to be a new challenge and I'm looking forward to it.”
Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's defeat, but he completed only 29 of his 44 pass attempts.
Following his final snap, it appeared as if the emotions of the moment had started to settle in:
Roethlisberger will leave the NFL as the Steelers' all-time leader in wins (165), home wins (92) and passing touchdowns (418) if he retires after the 2021 season. The No. 11 pick in the 2004 draft, Roethlisberger won 13 playoff games and two Super Bowls throughout his career.
“I've been here a long time. It's been a lot of fun,” Roethlisberger said Sunday. “It was meant to be that I was gonna wear black and gold. ... I'm just so thankful. I hope that I was able to pass the legacy of what it is to be a Steeler."
"Hopefully I can pass some of that on to some of the guys, and the tradition of what it means to be a Steeler can get passed down.”
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