What Does the Future Hold For Rivers and Roethlisberger

Two members of the vaunted 2004 draft class are facing major questions in 2021. After losing in the wild card round, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and their respective teams will be looking at numerous options on how to proceed. Rivers is 39 and Roethlisberger will be 39 in March. Both will be retiring in the next couple of years, potentially as soon as this year.

Having a good quarterback is everything in the NFL. It’s time for the Colts and Steelers to make their quarterback plan for the future. Whether that plan involves their veterans remains to be seen.

Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh started the season a perfect 11-0 before collapsing to a 1-4 finish. While they ended the season 12-4 and AFC North champs, the cracks were starting to show. Outside of the second half of their Week 16 win over the Colts, the Steelers’ offense never got into a consistent rhythm. In the regular-season Big Ben was ranked 30th out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks averaging just 6.2 yards per attempt. Most of his throws were short without many deep shots downfield.

Then in the wild card round of the playoffs, the Steelers lost on their home turf to their division rival and “little brother” Cleveland Browns 48-37. Cleveland had lost 17 consecutive games at Heinz Field and was without their head coach and numerous key players due to COVID-19. That streak included Pittsburgh’s dominant 38-7 win in Week 6. Roethlisberger had a strange final stat line throwing for 501 yards on an-NFL record 47 completions, with four touchdowns and four interceptions. It was the four atrocious interceptions that cost the Steelers the game and now Pittsburgh enters an offseason loaded with questions.

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Roethlisberger has one year left on his contract but holds a cap hit of over $41 million. Even if he retires, Pittsburgh still owes him over $22 million due to restructuring bonuses. Since his cap hit will be significant whether he retires or not, and it’s extremely unlikely he gets traded, it makes sense to bring back the franchise icon.

If the Steelers had a proper succession plan at quarterback, it would make more sense to cut him to avoid paying him future roster bonuses. However, backup Mason Rudolph has not shown that he is starter material. Pittsburgh clearly did not prepare for the potential of a sudden Roethlisberger decline.

The Steelers could draft a quarterback to sit behind Big Ben for a season with the 24th overall pick. However, Pittsburgh has used their last seven first-round picks on defense so they could follow history and wait until later rounds. Sam Darnold may be dealt out of New York and could offer significant potential under Tomlin. Jameis Winston could look for a better chance at a starting gig, especially if Drew Brees plays next year. No matter what path they choose, it’s painfully obvious that their starter of the future is not currently on the roster.

Philip Rivers

After 16 seasons with the Chargers, Rivers joined the Colts on a one-year contract last offseason. The results were mixed but overall successful as the Colts made the playoffs at 11-5. The Colts fought admirably but narrowly lost in the wild card round at Buffalo, 27-24. Indianapolis got the ball back with two and a half minutes left to win the game or tie it with a field goal. They advanced to the Buffalo 47 yard-line, well out of field goal range, before running out of time.

Rivers finished the regular season with 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He moved into the top five in NFL history in career touchdown passes and passing yards during the season. However, his lasting image on the Colts, and maybe his career, is coming up short in the fourth quarter one more time.

Unlike Roethlisberger, Rivers is a free agent and holds no future cap hit on his team. Of course, he could retire and start coaching high school football in Alabama. The Colts could bring him back on another one-year deal as a mentor for a rookie draft pick. A multi-year extension seems unlikely since they only gave him one year to begin with. If Rivers returns to Indy, it’s likely another one-year deal for a quarterback who will turn 40 by the end of next season.

Backup Jacoby Brissett is also a free agent this offseason. It’s difficult to see the Colts bringing both of them back. Jacob Eason, a fourth-round pick last year, is the only quarterback under contract for the Colts. He has never even been active for a game yet. The Colts own the 21st pick which could allow them to trade up towards the middle of the first round to draft a quarterback. Either Rivers or Brissett could return to serve as a mentor for the rookie until he’s ready.

Indianapolis could take a swing and trade for an established starter such as Carson Wentz or Matthew Stafford. Head coach Frank Reich was Wentz’s offensive coordinator during his best season in 2017. After a frustrating season in Philadelphia, Wentz could be on his way out to make way for Jalen Hurts. Stafford bounced back after an injury-riddled 2019 season, but Detroit fell well short of the playoffs once again. If the Lions want to start from scratch with their new head coach and new general manager, trading Stafford seems logical.

Of course, the Colts would need to be ok with their contracts to acquire either quarterback. Both are expensive and have multiple years remaining. Bringing back Rivers would be pushing off answering their long-term quarterback question. However, he may be their best option to compete next year while potentially developing his successor.