PITTSBURGH — As Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hangs up the cleats, let’s take a trip down memory lane and re-live some key dates from his 18-year career.
April 24, 2004 — The Steelers select Roethlisberger with the No. 11 overall pick after Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were off the board with the first and fourth picks.
September 26, 2004 — Makes his first career start for an injured Tommy Maddox and leads the Steelers to a 13-3 victory in Miami, the first of an NFL record 15 consecutive wins to start his career.
January 15, 2006 — Makes a shoestring tackle on Colts defensive back Nick Harper with 1:09 remaining in an AFC divisional round playoff game after Harper scooped up a Jerome Bettis fumble and was headed for the winning score. The tackle proved huge as the Colts missed a field goal to force overtime, giving the Steelers a 21-18 victory over the top-seeded Colts in Indianapolis.
February 5, 2006 — Became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl win as the Steelers beat the Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL.
June 12, 2006 — Broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet. He has surgery to repair his injuries, but he doesn’t miss a game during the 2006 season.
December 31, 2006 — Leads the Steelers to an overtime win over Cincinnati, but the Steelers finish the season 8-8 and miss the playoffs for the first time in his career. Roethlisberger finished the season with a career-high 23 interceptions.
February 1, 2009 — Throws the winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIII to lift the Steelers to a 27-23 victory and secures the franchise’s sixth Lombardi trophy.
April 21, 2010 — Suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first six games of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension would later be reduced to four games, and Roethlisberger would lead the Steelers to 11 wins in 15 starts, including the playoffs, and an appearance in Super Bowl XLV.
February 6, 2011 — Throws two interceptions in a 31-25 loss to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV. It was a third Super Bowl appearance in six years, but Roethlisberger would never return to the big stage.
Dec. 8, 2013 — Breaks Terry Bradshaw’s franchise record for most touchdown passes in a 34-28 home loss to the Dolphins.
November 2, 2014 — Throws six touchdown passes in a 43-23 victory over Baltimore and sets the NFL record for the most touchdown passes over a two-game span with 12. He also threw six touchdowns in a victory over the Colts the previous week.
January 9, 2016 — Re-entered the AFC wild-card game against the Bengals with 1:23 remaining after suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the game and led the Steelers to a last-second field goal and an 18-16 victory.
January 22, 2017 — Making his fifth and final appearance in the AFC championship game, Roethlisberger throws for 314 yards in a 36-17 loss to the Patriots. Both of Roethlisberger’s losses in AFC title games came at the hands of Tom Brady and the Patriots.
January 14, 2018 — Set franchise single-game records with 469 passing yards and five touchdowns in an AFC divisional round game against the Jaguars, but the Steelers lost, 45-42, at Heinz Field.
Dec. 30, 2018 — Throws for 287 yards in a 16-13 victory over Cincinnati and finishes as the NFL’s leader in passing yards with 5,129. He is the seventh quarterback to throw for at least 5,000 yards in a season.
September 15, 2019 — Tears ligaments in his elbow while throwing a pass late in the first half in a game against the Seahawks at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger has reconstructive surgery on his elbow and misses the remainder of the season.
September 14, 2020 — Almost one year to the date of his elbow injury, Roethlisberger returns to the Steelers and throws for 229 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening 26-16 win over the New York Giants.
January 10, 2021 — Throws for 501 yards in an AFC wild-card game against the Browns — the second-most yards in NFL playoff history — but the Steelers lose, 48-37. Roethlisberger’s four interceptions played a big part in the defeat.
March 4, 2021 — Agrees to a $5 million pay cut to remain with the Steelers. Roethlisberger plays the 2021 season on a one-year deal worth $14 million.
December 30, 2021 — Acknowledges for the first time publicly that his career is coming to an end, telling reporters “signs are pointing to” a Monday night game against the Browns being his last game at Heinz Field.
Jan. 27, 2022 — Announces his retirement from the NFL following a 42-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC wild-card round.
