Chance to add to Super Bowl collection inspires Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger in return from injury

The youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl is now 38 and chasing an elusive third ring.

It has been 11 seasons since Ben Roethlisberger’s pinpoint touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining provided the Pittsburgh Steelers with their sixth Lombardi Trophy and the quarterback’s second title in a four-year span.

Roethlisberger acknowledges he is in the twilight of a career that one day figures to place him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Still, he’s not content with winning one more Super Bowl.

As Roethlisberger famously said five weeks ago, he wants to win “Lombardis. I say that with a plural at the end.”

First, Roethlisberger must lead the Steelers to the playoffs after a two-season absence. And he’ll try to do it, starting Monday night at the New York Giants, after a 12-month layoff because of a right elbow injury that required tendon re-attachment surgery.

Then, there is the age factor. Roethlisberger will try to win a Super Bowl at a stage of his career reached by just three others — his idol and two contemporaries.

Roethlisberger wears No. 7 out of deference to John Elway, who was 38 when he won his second of back-to-back championships for the Denver Broncos. Elway was the oldest quarterback to hoist the Lombardi Trophy until Peyton Manning won his second championship at age 39 in 2016. Tom Brady, of course, tied Manning and then surpassed him by earning his sixth ring at 41.

Roethlisberger isn’t looking to become the oldest Super Bowl champion. He just wants to join the club.

“Focused on winning championships, that is what we all want to do,” Roethlisberger said. “I am just excited to have the opportunity to play this year. After missing last year, I can really only focus on this year because you realize you can’t look past it.”

Roethlisberger is one of two active quarterbacks — not counting the 43-year-old Brady — trying to win a championship at such a late stage of his career. Drew Brees, at 41, is chasing a second title with the New Orleans Saints. Philip Rivers, a member of Roethlisberger’s draft class in 2004, is seeking his first while having moved on to Indianapolis after 16 years with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.

The third quarterback in that famed draft class, Eli Manning, was the first to retire after winning two titles with the Giants.

“Guys always throw out how long they want to play until,” he said last week. “I don’t know. I honor my contract and know it’s got one more year (after 2020) on it, but I’m going to give this season everything I have, especially since I didn’t get to play last year. This season means a lot to me. I’m going to give everything I have and see what happens.

“I don’t like to put a time frame on how long I want to play because there are too many variables involved.”

Roethlisberger has the benefit this season of having a strong supporting cast, with the return of a healthy JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner, plus tight end Eric Ebron and rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool as red-zone targets. The Steelers also has a defense loaded with multiple Pro Bowl players and one that led the NFL in takeaways and sacks in 2019.

Roethlisberger also is healthy, and from team president Art Rooney II to general manager Kevin Colbert to coach Mike Tomlin to Roethlisberger himself, the belief is that a season away from the game has invigorated the quarterback’s career.

“At his age, without one year’s work and wear and tear on his legs, on his body and with maybe a healthier arm coming out of this, this guy could actually be a better quarterback than he’s been,” Colbert said during training camp. “That’s exciting. At this point, it’s been great. Physically, he looks great.”

Roethlisberger said it was beneficial to have nine months, instead of a customary six in an offseason, to work on his conditioning. Roethlisberger, who is listed at 240 pounds, said he is lighter than he has been in 15 years.

“Obviously, you can’t turn back Father Time and make yourself feel like I’m 21 and run all over the field,” he said. “But I think you can go on the field even at an older age and still feel really good. I feel that way right now.”

As much as the rest benefited Roethlisberger’s surgically repaired elbow, he also didn’t absorb the physical pounding in 2019 that a quarterback takes over a 16-game season. He didn’t spend another year running around the pocket trying to shake loose sack-hungry linebackers and defensive linemen.

“That’s the hardest thing is taking those hits at that age and be able to — even if you’re not hurt, just to be able to bounce back and be ready to go the next week,” Elway said in February. “That, to me, was the hardest thing. As long as they can keep them upright and prevent them from being hit, then I think they still have a chance to be successful.”

Until his injury in his sixth quarter of play last season, Roethlisberger was one of the most successful and durable quarterbacks of his generation. He ranks eighth in NFL history with 56,545 passing yards and is ninth with 363 touchdown passes.

As a testament to his longevity and success, Roethlisberger is scheduled to surpass Mike Webster (220 games) for the franchise record in games played when the Steelers play Houston in Week 3.

Roethlisberger, though, isn’t one to chase individual milestones. He owns virtually every franchise passing record, yet he has remained two Super Bowl wins behind Terry Bradshaw’s total — he is one of only three quarterbacks to win at least four — for over a decade.

Wins matter to Roethlisberger, who ranks seventh on the all-time list with 144. He will surpass Elway for fifth place if he leads the Steelers to a modest five victories this season.

Of course, Roethlisberger wants many more wins — particularly one in February. And his coach from Super Bowl XL, when Roethlisberger was 23 and in his second NFL season, believes the goal is attainable.

“He wants to go out a winner and on his own terms,” Bill Cowher said. “I think you’ll see him better than ever coming back into (this) year. … I know Ben Roethlisberger. There’s no great competitor than him. He’s a very proud quarterback. He’ll find a way to get back and he’ll find a way to make the people around him better than they even are.”