Steelers must break up with Ben Roethlisberger after AFC playoffs bust vs. Browns

Ben Roethlisberger failed to allay lingering concerns about his quarterback play in the host’s shocking 48-37 AFC wildcard playoff loss against the rival Browns on Sunday night. Let’s hope this is enough for the Steelers to seek his immediate successor in the low season of 2021, regardless of whether he chooses to retire.

Before Christmas, before making a successful comeback against Colts in week 16 to help the Steelers win the AFC North, Sporting News provided detailed information on Roethlisberger’s physical limitations associated with his arm strength plus wear and tear at the age of 38. With no solid running game to lean on and struggling to push the ball down all season, resulting in poor air distance, Pittsburgh tried to win as many games as possible by being short to medium pass happy.

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But that put Roethlisberger in a position where he had to avoid big mistakes in big games, knowing that the big games were harder to get. That didn’t happen vs. Cleveland, as Big Ben’s four interceptions under five team sales ultimately cost Pittsburgh a high-scoring affair.

The bad click on the Steelers’ first possession that turned into a cool Browns touchdown was not Roethlsiberger’s fault. His interception of the game’s penultimate possession was out of desperation. But Pittsburgh was doomed when Roethlisbeger threw three picks within the first 20 minutes of playing time.

The Steelers were able to watch their big rally in the second half from 28 to make it an 11-point game and overlook large aggregates (501 yards, fourTDs, 110.0 passer rating) and his awful first half. But that should only make them more frustrated with Roethlisberger, as he was forced to throw at a high volume (47 completes out of 68 tries with no sacks) due to his own early mistakes helping to dig a big hole.

Roethlisberger once stated in 2020 that he would like to come back for his Age 39 season. In some ways, he came back strong from a 2019 season lost to a right elbow injury and played well enough to rebuild his confidence, taking advantage of his top-notch young wide receivers and veteran tight end. He gave what he could, but in the end it wasn’t good enough.

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If the Cap-strapped Steelers don’t restructure Roethlisberger’s contract, they’ll expect a $ 41.25 million cap hit by 2021. Releasing or trading Roethlisberger would cost the Steelers $ 22.25 million in dead money, but it would also bring in $ 19 million in cap relief. A once-tough decision should be a no-brainer now: move further from Big Ben and roll a QB on a rookie deal.

The first round of the Steelers’ playoff exit locked them in the 24th pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Their failure to make a deep playoff run puts them in a better position to secure a potential franchise quarterback from the second wave of potential clients in a strong QB class.

Roethlisberger is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has had a great career with the Steelers, marked by two Super Bowl wins. His overall body of work makes him the best QB in franchise history, eclipsing Terry Bradshaw. He took 17 more seasons than Bradshaw to break up and win big for Black and Gold.

But Roethlisberger is more like Drew Brees than Tom Brady in that there are tangible signs of deterioration in his game due to Father Time. In an AFC full of emerging young guns, including his Sunday night counterpart, Baker Mayfield the Steelers must flip the switch to a youthful, higher-ceilinged compass.

Consider that Mayfield, all 25, will be the elder statesman in the AFC division playoffs, which will also include Patrick Mahomes (25), Josh Allen (24) and Lamar Jackson (24). Mayfield and Jackson give the Browns and Ravens an edge over the rest of the AFC North for the foreseeable future, and the Bengals with Joe Burrow are just around the corner.

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The Steelers have long enjoyed a major quarterback advantage in the division, with Roethlisberger keeping both Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton at bay and consistently spooning against who the Browns tried for Mayfield. The Steelers don’t want to suddenly be in the back of the queue where they are going with more Big Ben.

With the way Roethlisberger plays now, the edge fades away quickly. The thought of sliding back a bit with a rookie passer could be enough for Mike Tomlin to accept, especially with a defense now ready to win and great potential in the rest of the passing game. But the Steelers need to be confident that they will hit someone, just as the Browns, Bills, Chiefs and Ravens did at various stages of the design.

Heck, at No. 11 overall in 2004, Roethlisberger was the third QB to be taken (after Eli Manning and Philip Rivers), and that worked really well for Pittsburgh, going 13-0 when he started out as a rookie and eventually became a consistent. AFC contender and with two large rings to show for it.

Such a big change is difficult, but big breaks are happening in this competition. The Steelers can’t be put off by what happened to the Patriots after they broke up with Brady. They must think they can do what the chargers did after saying goodbye to Philip Rivers.

Roethlisberger’s costly playoff performance against the Browns was no anomaly. It was a confirmation of the evidence that his better game worked against him this season.

The Steelers need to see that and are starting to lift their eyes towards a great replacement for Big Ben.