When Ben Roethlisberger let it be known in March that he had conversations with the San Francisco 49ers about signing with the team after the injury to Jimmy Garapollo in December of 2022, it raised eyebrows across multiple NFL fanbases. Had Roethlisberger, the all-time passing yards leader in Pittsburgh Steelers history, been the backup quarterback to Brock Purdy in the NFC Championship game, would the game have turned out differently? Fortunately, fans won’t have to worry too much about that hypothetical because, on the April 11th edition of his podcast, “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” he explained that the calls were simply to gauge interest, with no offer firmly extended.
“I’ll reiterate. It was them calling my agent just to gauge interest,” Roethlisberger said via CBS Sports. “They called, but again, I’ll reiterate, it was gauging interest.”
Had the 49ers been serious about signing a veteran quarterback to back up Purdy down the stretch, they certainly had options, as Phillip Rivers reportedly also offered up his services as a reserve option. Instead, the team opted to go with Josh Johnson, who was on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad at the time, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ben Roethlisberger’s Comments Read Different With Context
When Roethlisberger first noted that the 49ers has expressed interest in his services, it elicited strong reactions from across the football world, but viewed now with the proper context of his updated remarks, it reads much better.
“I had discussions. … I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a small part of me that was intrigued,” Roethlisberger said in March. “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.”
Did Roethlisberger ultimately decide to value his loyalty to the black and gold over one final run at another Super Bowl? That certainly may have played a factor in his decision-making process, but based on his more recent comments, it doesn’t sound like conversations got too far along either.
Phillip Rivers had Eyes for the San Francisco 49ers
While it’s impossible to know if Roethlisberger would have signed with the 49ers had he been offered a contract, one player who was far more open to the prospects of playing under Kyle Shanahan was Phillip Rivers, as Rich Eisen noted in an interview with 95.7 The Game.
“We all know two teams that were quarterback-needy at the end of the season — starting third-stringers — and had a chance to go to the playoffs, and maybe make a deep run in the playoffs,” Eisen said via NBC Sports. “I’m referring to the Miami Dolphins and, of course, the San Francisco 49ers.
“I heard at the combine that Philip Rivers contacted both of them to come back late last year. Philip Rivers contacted both of them, is what I heard, and that’s the way I heard it, to see if they would come, and it didn’t happen. Don’t know why it didn’t happen. But I heard that at the combine, that Philip, once his season was over, was kind of like, ‘So the 49ers are going with Mr. Irrelevant?’ ”
How far along did Rivers’ conversations with the 49ers get? Was it as simple as touching bases a la Roethlisberger, or were actual terms of a hypothetical contract discussed? Unfortunately, unless someone reports further on the matter, fans may never know.
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Steelers Legend Sets the Record Straight on 2022 49ers Interest