Retired Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said during an interview with Mark Madden of 105.9 The X on Tuesday that the 49ers reached out to him about possibly playing for them during the 2022 season.
“They were, I think, reaching out maybe just to gauge my interest,” Roethlisberger told Madden, via SteelersNow.com. “I had discussions. . . . I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a small part of me that was intrigued. I could still do it and prove to people that I could still play. At the end of the day, I just can’t see myself in anything other than black and gold.”
Even so, it sounds like Roethlisberger is happy in retirement.
“I love waking up in the morning and not having issues with my knees and shoulders and elbows,” Roethlisberger said.
The 49ers dealt with multiple injuries at quarterback last year to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, which propelled Brock Purdy into the starting lineup.
Purdy did a fine job of filling in, but it sounds like San Franscisco was considering any and all options to find a quarterback at one point.
Roethlisberger, 40, is a former first-round pick of the Steelers back in 2004. He finalized a three-year, $68 million contract extension in 2020 that included a $37.5 million signing bonus.
Roethlisberger was owed $19 million for the 2021 season when he agreed to a $5 million pay cut that also made 2021 the final year of his deal. Roethlisberger officially retired from the NFL last year.
For his career, Roethlisberger played 18 seasons and completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 64,088 yards, 418 touchdowns, 211 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 93.5.
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