Canton Bound? Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Has Clear Hall of Fame Case
Ben Roethlisberger has officially called it a career. The 18-year veteran played all 18 years with the Steelers, registering the most starts in franchise history while doing it. In addition, that 18-year run is the longest a quarterback has played with just one team. Those are just some accolades to name when talking about Roethlisberger’s illustrious career.
Spelling out Roethlisberger’s resume for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027, on the surface, is easy. He is a two-time Super Bowl winner. In the landscape of the Hall of Fame, rings matter a lot, and Roethlisberger is in a rare company of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl rings. That shrinks even further when it is taken into account that Roethlisberger went to three Super Bowls.
In the Roethlisberger era, only the New England Patriots had a better winning percentage overall. It was the Patriots, and then it was the Steelers when Roethlisberger was under center. Look even more on the surface, and Roethlisberger never had a losing season as the starter. That stat gets thrown around for Mike Tomlin a whole lot, but the same is true for Roethlisberger. The Steelers quite literally never fell off the metaphorical cliff, even with Roethlisberger’s injuries at times.
Roethlisberger was never considered the best at his position. He never made an All-Pro team. Roethlisberger never won the MVP. He did win the Offensive Player of the Year and is a six-time Pro Bowl selection for some postseason hardware. Still, playing in that era with those guys, Roethlisberger was shut out.
However, when put into the context that he played in the era where Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played, it becomes more manageable. Still, Roethlisberger’s career stats shatter the average Hall of Fame quarterback numbers, even when the pass-happy modern era is taken into effect.
Roethlisberger’s career 64.088 career passing yards lay to waste the meager 38,000 average mean for Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Combining playoff stats as well, Roethlisberger is one of only five quarterbacks to pass for over 70,000 yards in his career including the playoffs. It ranks him fifth all-time. The passing yardage stats, at the very least, are very much there.
Similarly, Roethlisberger is among the best all-time in touchdown passes. His 418 touchdown passes rank 8th all-time. Roethlisberger’s average 64.4 completion percentage throughout his career is over five points above the average of the average Hall of Fame quarterback. His career 93.6 QB rating puts him over guys like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and other legends. Simply put, the statistics are there for Roethlisberger.
There is also the clutch factor to take into account with Roethlisberger. Obvious moments such as his touchdown to Santonio Holmes, tackle on Nick Harper, and heave to Antonio Brown will stick out, but Roethlisberger is one of the most historically clutch quarterbacks in NFL history. Roethlisberger has 57 career game-winning drives, which is second to only Brady in NFL History. In addition, ranks top three all-time in passing yards, completion percentage, passer rating, and touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime.
In terms of eye-popping factoids, Roethlisberger is one of only three quarterbacks in NFL history with 60,000 or more passing yards and two Super Bowl rings. He stands alongside Brady and Manning on that theoretical Mount Rushmore of quarterback accomplishments.
Simply put, comparing Roethlisberger to other legends, he matches up against them well. There is no doubt he is a Hall of Fame quarterback with all he has accomplished. He will first be eligible in 2027 to be enshrined, and it is likely he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
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