Roethlisberger Retires: Iconic QB Defined Steelers Era

Late last summer, in the waning days of training camp, Ben Roethlisberger sat in the sun overlooking Heinz Field a few minutes before practice was to begin. Roethlisberger didn't do much in that practice because, well, when the franchise quarterback is 39 years old, you want to save the legs and the reps, no matter how new the offense or how green the offensive linemen. Roethlisberger instead loped through that afternoon, talking to teammates, consulting with coaches, running the occasional series. He was fit and healthy and happy. A quarterback who often looked very much his 39 years, Big Ben appeared, at that moment, like he was ready to play many more.