Roethlisberger plans on returning in 2018
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Ryan Shazier showed up at Wednesday practice to lift a Steelers team, which received another big lift from Ben Roethlisberger, who, for the first time since bringing up retirement talk last spring, said he plans to return next season.
The initial response out of Roethlisberger鈥檚 mouth in the morning was in response to a question of whether Sunday鈥檚 playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars might be his last game at Heinz Field.
鈥淚鈥檓 not thinking about that right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it is my last but I am not thinking that right now.鈥�
After practice, Roethlisberger made sure his comment wasn鈥檛 taken as him predicting a Steelers win and New England Patriots loss, which would bring Roethlisberger back to Heinz Field the following week for this year鈥檚 AFC Championship Game.
Roethlisberger made clear that his plan is to return for the 2018 season.
Roethlisberger has two years remaining on his contract and would earn $17 million each season.
鈥淚鈥檓 planning on it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 speak on the unforseen, but, yeah, my plan is to come back.鈥�
He was also asked about his relationship with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, of which much has been conjectured since Haley replaced Bruce Arians in 2012.
鈥淵eah, we鈥檙e fine, why?鈥� Roethlisberger asked. He wondered whether something new had been written as he practiced. Even something as simple as Haley calling preseason plays from the press box was taken by some as a fracture in their relationship.
鈥淭hat was just 鈥楲et鈥檚 try anything,'鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚 told Todd, and he knows that he鈥檚 very passionate. He鈥檚 yelling at refs, he鈥檚 yelling at coaches, he鈥檚 yelling at players, so our suggestion was, 鈥楲et鈥檚 give it a shot to see if it makes him not be so into the game.鈥� We were just trying all kinds of different things, so it didn鈥檛 necessarily have to do with me and him. It was more about 鈥楥an it make us better offensively or not?鈥� And obviously it didn鈥檛. He didn鈥檛 want to do it.
鈥淏ut, yeah, yeah, we鈥檙e fine. We have our differences, but everyone does.鈥�
Roethlisberger didn鈥檛 appear to have differences with Arians, his coordinator from 2007 to 2011.
鈥淲e did,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚t was just fewer and farther between and it was more private. We aired it out that way. I don鈥檛 think Todd and I have any issues. It鈥檚 amazing how some of this stuff is taken.鈥�
Center Maurkice Pouncey, seated next to Roethlisberger in the locker room, was pleased to hear his quarterback plans to return, since Pouncey has said several times he鈥檒l retire when Roethlisberger does. Pouncey took it as a lift, and was also jazzed by the lift Shazier gave the team while watching practice from his wheelchair.
鈥淥h my God, we were so happy today to see him out there breaking down the team, telling us how the rehab was going, what all he does and stuff,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy to be that positive and that motivated, man. That encourages everybody on the team.鈥�
In spite of Shazier鈥檚 father telling WPXI-TV last week that his son has regained feeling in his legs, Shazier didn鈥檛 move them during practice.
鈥淭oday, no,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 do it out there, but he鈥檚 done it before.鈥�
鈥淵eah, but he鈥檚 just such a warrior, a competitor,鈥� Marcus Gilbert added. 鈥淚 feel it鈥檚 just a bump in the road for him. He鈥檚 a strong guy. I know he鈥檒l come back from it. Yeah, initially I felt bad, but I know that he doesn鈥檛 want us to feel bad for him because he wants us to focus on what we need to focus on and he鈥檒l take care of his part and get back to us.鈥�
鈥淚 just love the way he has been positive through it all,鈥� said Cam Heyward. 鈥淩yan through all of it has been upbeat, inspiring, and I鈥檓 just happy about it because it could have gone another way.鈥�
NOTES: In what could evolve into a bigger story at Thursday鈥檚 practice, cornerback Artie Burns and defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt were limited in Wednesday鈥檚 practice with knee and elbow injuries, respectively. Burns reportedly left practice after getting hurt in a non-contact drill. He was replaced by rookie Cam Sutton. No further details were available. 鈥� Reserve guard B.J. Finney was also limited with a thigh injury. 鈥� Antonio Brown practiced fully for the second time this week since missing the last two-and-a-half games with a calf injury. 鈥淎mazing, like he hasn鈥檛 skipped a beat,鈥� said another receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster. 鈥淚t feels good to have him back out there.鈥�