Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Has Seriously Blunt Reaction To Latest Free Agent Rumor In Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason welcomed many new players as part of the organization for the 2026 season and beyond. The team is now working through Organized Team Activities as they get a look at how some of those new faces mesh with returning players from last season. With the team moving ahead for another year with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they will eventually need to find their long-term answer at the position. They have not had stability at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger suited up from 2004 to 2021. 

Roethlisberger recently discussed an idea floated out around the long-term answer at the position. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently provided his thoughts on a possible answer for the position after the 2026 season as well. He suggested that the team try to bring in Baker Mayfield if their options are down to quarterbacks Drew Allar and Will Howard after the upcoming season. However, the former two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback for the storied franchise had a strong retort against the idea.

On his recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, one of his co-hosts floated the idea proposed by Florio about bringing Mayfield to the Steel City. It was also mentioned that Mayfield is "Pittsburgh" given his grit. However, the former legendary signal-caller quickly shot down this idea and thinks the exact opposite of this evaluation of Mayfield.

"Baker is not Pittsburgh at all actually," Roethlisberger said. "He's not from anywhere around Pittsburgh."

Mayfield, an eight-year NFL veteran and Texas native, definitely does have grit that is similar to someone from the Steel City. However, Roethlisberger is certainly correct in that he is not from anywhere around the area. The franchise certainly does need their long-term answer at the quarterback position sooner or later, but the jury is still out on Mayfield. If the Steelers do not believe it is in Howard or Allar, they will either need to dip into the draft again at the position, or turn to free agency.

Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in the 2020 NFL season. However, he was was then traded by them to the Carolina Panthers. Following seven games with Carolina in 2022, he was then claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams. It was possible that the Black and Gold could have traded for Mayfield, but they decided to go in another direction and that is where he battled through some adversity before proving his worth in Tampa.

What Are The Steelers' Chances Of Landing Mayfield Now?

While Mayfield may not be the ideal candidate to take over as the long-term quarterback in the Steel City, he has proven to be a reliable starting quarterback in the league. He has been with Tampa Bay Buccaneers since his stint with Los Angeles and led the team to back-to-back NFC South division titles during his tenure there. The team also made an appearance in the 2023 Divisional Round following a Wild Card Round win under his leadership.

It is not certain what sparked the emphatic opposition from Roethlisberger to the idea of Mayfield joining the organization down the road. However, it may have been the comment connecting him to the city, which is certainly not true. The team could have more answers than questions at quarterback if their two young guys do not fully develop this year under Rodgers' leadership, and that's where Mayfield could be key.

The franchise definitely needs to quickly answer the question once Rodgers is ultimately done, as they have not had a long-term guy at quarterback since Roethlisberger. If Howard and Allar are to develop well under him in 2026, it will create for a competitive and healthy competition at the position next offseason. However, if there are any doubts about it, the Steelers must explore all options, even if it means looking at the gritty Texas native in Mayfield.

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