National Football League

Roethlisberger admits he didn't want Pickett to succeed at first

Published May. 22, 2023 6:37 p.m. ET

Ben Roethlisberger admitted he had mixed feelings about what would happen with his old team following his retirement at the end of the 2021 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback shared with Kenny Pickett on his podcast, "Footbalin with Ben Roethlisberger," that he didn't want him to succeed right away in his rookie season.

"I'll be completely honest, I'll be super transparent here, and I'm gonna get blasted," Roethlisberger said. "I probably shouldn't say this, but who cares at this point. I wouldn't say that I wanted Kenny to necessarily fail, but when someone comes to replace you … then it's like, Ben who?"

Roethlisberger, who was the Steelers' starting quarterback for 18 seasons, helped the team win two Super Bowls and earned six Pro Bowl nods over his career. But, as is the case with nearly every professional athlete, his performance took a dip toward the end of his career. He threw for 3,740 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his final season. He also had an 86.8 passer rating, which was his third-worst passer rating in a season over his career (excluding his two-game 2019 season).

After Big Ben's retirement, the Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He didn't start right away, sitting the first three games of the 2022 season behind Mitch Trubisky. But once Pickett eventually emerged as the starter, Roethlisberger felt some guilt about his initial rooting interests, saying, "I think that's probably the selfishness of me, and I feel bad for it."

The Steelers went 2-4 in Pickett's first six starts. But things began to turn around later in the season, as Pickett won the final five games he started and finished, helping the Steelers finish 9-8.

While Pickett finished the season with 2,404 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and nine interceptions, his stats improved too down the stretch. He only threw one interception in his final eight games and led the Steelers to back-to-back fourth-quarter comeback wins against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.

Roethlisberger said he became a fan of Pickett's before his late-season comeback wins and admitted that he "didn't know" much about Pickett, adding that he was "pleasantly surprised."

"As you started playing, I found myself rooting more and more for you," Roethlisberger said. "I wanted you to succeed, I wanted you to win games, I wanted you to go in the playoffs. I feel bad that I felt that early on, but I'm glad I transitioned to loving and rooting for you."

The Steelers' late-season run was ultimately not enough for them to reach the playoffs, but Roethlisberger thinks his old team has fortunately found his successor.

"I think you're the future of this team," Roethlisberger told Pickett. "I really do. And I think the fans should be lucky. They are lucky they got you."

Roethlisberger said the two now have a relationship and he texts Pickett after games to offer his support.

"I appreciate that man," Pickett said to Roethlisberger. "That means a lot. Obviously, watching you growing up. … It means the world."

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