Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger retires after 18 seasons - 'I retire from football a truly grateful man'

PITTSBURGH — After 18 seasons as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement Thursday morning.

In a video posted to his Twitter account, Roethlisberger announced what became obvious over the final weeks of the 2021 season.

«The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition,» Roethlisberger said. «Yet the time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football a truly grateful man.»

Roethlisberger, 39, finished a likely Hall of Fame career with two Super Bowl wins, Rookie of the Year honors, and the fifth-most passing yards (64,088) in NFL history.

Ben Roethlisberger retires as the most accomplished quarterback in Steelers history when it comes to his passing numbers.

«I've been here a long time and it's been a lot of fun,» Roethlisberger said after his final game, a wild-card game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. «God has blessed me. We joke a lot about the Browns and going in there, but it was meant to be that I was going to wear black and gold. Draft day I had a black suit with a gold tie. I'm just so thankful.

»I hope that I'm able to pass the legacy of what it is to be a Steeler from Dan Rooney.… So hopefully I can pass some of that on to some of the guys that can continue the tradition of what it means to be a Steeler and get passed down."

Drafted by the franchise 11th overall in 2004, Roethlisberger took over the starting job for an injured Tommy Maddox against the Ravens in Week 2 of his rookie season. He led the Steelers to a 15-1 regular season record before losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

Roethlisberger won his first Super Bowl