Ben Roethlisberger stays on brand in hating on another potential Steelers replacement

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed being the only sheriff in town. Roethlisberger is a future Hall of Famer, and deserves his spot in Canton. Ben was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion in Pittsburgh. He's the best quarterback in Steelers history and, no disrespect to Terry Bradshaw, it isn't all that close.

Since retiring from the NFL, Roethlisberger has spent most of his time in the Steelers orbit. His podcast, 'Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger', is a favorite among a certain section of the fanbase which enjoys living in the past.

If there is one common trait among all the young quarterbacks the Steelers have employed to replace Roethlisberger since his retirement after the 2021 season, it is that they haven't remotely lived up to the standard he set. It's also that Roethlisberger himself sounds as though he is actively rooting against them.

Ben Roethlisberger has a history of hating on Steelers heir-apparents

When the Steelers selected Mason Rudolph out of Oklahoma State in 2018, Roethlisberger wasn't thrilled about it. Ben went out of his way not to help Rudolph, who he wrongly assumed was drafted to replace him.

“I felt that we could have drafted a position — offense or defense — that could have helped us. Not a guy that was going to be a potential backup, sure maybe have the the job in the future. That’s where I was more frustrated. It had nothing to do with Mason personally," Roethlisberger said of Rudolph.

In 2023, Roethlisberger went on the record and apologized for being 'selfish' when it came to Kenny Pickett's success.

"I probably shouldn’t say this, but who cares at this point. I wouldn’t say that I wanted Kenny to necessarily fail, but like when someone comes to replace you and I still feel like I had it, I hope he doesn’t come and like ball out. Because then it’s like ‘Ben who,’ right?" Roethisberger said.

Of course, Rudolph and Pickett eventually moved on, failing to live up to the hype.

Ben Roethlisberger's Justin Fields take is just bad

The same may eventually be said of Justin Fields, who started the first six games of the season in Pittsburgh before giving way to Russell Wilson. Fields is on a one-year deal, and could be a cheaper, and thus preferable option at QB in Arthur Smith's scheme next season. Rather than focusing on the positives, Roethlisberger wants Fields to switch positions.

"I would like to see, line him up at receiver a couple times," Roethlisberger said. "Put him at different spots. Because what that does, even if you don’t do anything with it, again, anytime that you can force an opponent to spend five minutes on something that they might never see, it takes them away from preparing for what they will see."

There's nothing wrong with Roethlisberger's statement as a standalone, but once Fields agrees to play wide receiver, odds are there is no going back. Ben is merely trying to be helpful as it pertains to the Steelers success and usage of Fields, who has already appeared in independent packages in Smith's offense.

In this case, it's not helpful, and paired with Ben's history of downplaying his replacements comes off...not great.