The Pittsburgh Steelers' last losing season came in 2003. An ugly 6-10 year had fans nervous for the future as there were a lot of questions surrounding the state of the roster. The team needed to find someone who could slowly earn his role as a starting quarterback, but no one could have predicted what would happen not too long after taking Ben Roethlisberger. The 11th overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft was originally going to sit behind Tommy Maddox and enter a game when the time was right. However, a Week 2 injury to the starter against the Baltimore Ravens paved the path for the then-rookie.
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Steelers retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (#7) runs on the field to warm up with his teammates prior to a 2021 regular season game being held at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Steelers ended up winning their final 14 regular-season games, and it started an era that wasn't going to soon be deterred. Roethlisberger played a total of 18 years, with his final coming during the 2021 campaign. He has two Super Bowl championships, and it's hard to argue that he isn't the best signal-caller to come from a 2004 class that included Philip Rivers and Eli Manning.
The trio all seem destined to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, but Rivers certainly has more challenges than the other two. Additionally, he completely reset his clock when he came out of retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2025 campaign. Now, however, Roethlisberger is getting ready to enter his first year of eligibility in 2027.
The debate between who was the better quarterback regarding Roethlisberger and Manning will go on for a long time. They have the same amount of championships, but the Steelers legend has more impressive statistics. Many are wondering if he will be able to slip in prior to the New York Giants hero. The first look at this is not too far away.
There will be plenty of debate about Roethlisberger's candidacy. Early in his career, he was in the news often due to some off the field headlines, but he is known in the Steel City as one of the best athletes to ever where the Black and Gold. In a mailbag on Monday morning, though, reporter Mark Kaboly gave an update on what he is hearing from Hall of Fame voters.
"I am putting the odds at 50/50 right now. I’ve heard from a handful of voters who aren’t convinced he will make it on his first attempt. To me, that’s horsesh*t," Kaboly wrote. "I started covering the Steelers on a full-time basis the year before Roethlisberger was drafted, so I’ve seen it all firsthand."
This is not the first time it has been mentioned that the former quarterback could have a tough time finding his way to Canton on the first try. Fans might have to wait a year or two before it actually occurs.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Retired Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempts to escape a Cincinnati Bengals defender during a regular season home game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Roethlisberger hasn't necessarily stayed out of the spotlight during retirement. He is often giving his opinions on the state of the team. That's exactly what Kaboly did next. He advocated for the six-time Pro Bowler with ease.
"The only thing Roethlisberger doesn’t have on his resume is an All-Pro, and there’s good reason for that when guys like Brady and Manning were in their primes at the time. He had two head coaches, five offensive coordinators, and a system that preached the run for the first half of his career, Kaboly noted. "I don’t need to spew superlatives. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I’d vote for him this year. But I don’t get a vote."
It will take some time to get the answers on this, but it would be very difficult to convince anyone in Pittsburgh that the Steelers' longtime signal-caller doesn't deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first try.
Steelers' Roethlisberger Could Have Recent Events Hurt Him
It shocked football fans everywhere when Bill Belichick didn't get the game's highest honor in 2026. Although he was in a different category, it was almost impossible to believe that the most decorated coach of all time was told that he had to wait at least another year. That proves that voting criteria is changing, and it could end up affecting Roethlisberger right away.
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