Ben Roethlisberger says he would pick Terry Bradshaw as Steelers 'all-time' quarterback

Roethlisberger chimed in an an all-time Pittsburgh sports debate

In the debate regarding the Steelers' all-time greatest quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger is giving the title to the quarterback he tried to match as far as Super Bowls won. 

When asked about creating an all-time Steelers roster, Roethlisberger didn't choose himself as the starting quarterback. He conceded that honor to Terry Bradshaw, whose Hall of Fame career included four Super Bowl wins, two Super Bowl MVPs and a league MVP. 

"I would put Terry as the quarterback," Roethlisberger said on the latest edition of his podcast. "That's my opinion. But if you look at my stats, my stats blow his out of the water. But he's got the championships, and that's what matters the most."

Comparing eras, Roethlisberger said, would complicate an all-time roster comprised of the Steelers' greatest players. Roethlisberger used '70s wideouts Lynn Swann and John Stallworth and former teammates Hines Ward and Antonio Brown as examples. While Swann and Stallworth are in the Hall of Fame, neither player has the stats that Ward and Brown accumulated during their careers, which is at least partly a byproduct of the era that they played in.

While that may create confusion at receiver, Roethlisberger said that Bradshaw's edge in titles gives him the nod on any all-time list, including Pittsburgh quarterbacks. Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls and is still one of only three starting quarterbacks (Joe Montana and Tom Brady being the other two) to accomplish that feat. 

Some may still argue Roethlisberger as the better quarterback, though. As Roethlisberger alluded to, his stats are far greater than what Bradshaw accumulated over his career. In fact, Roethlisberger is top-10 all-time in most career categories including passing yards and touchdown passes. Roethlisberger is also the only quarterback to throw six touchdown passes in consecutive games. His three 500-yard passing performances in the regular season is also a league record. 

But Big Ben was not able to match Bradshaw's championship tally, a record he tried to match throughout his 18-year career. He may have come short of Bradshaw, but Roethlisberger did win a pair of Super Bowl rings and is one of just 11 quarterbacks to start in at least three Super Bowls. 

As far as who is the greatest Steeler of all-time, Roethlisberger gave that title to Joe Greene, who in 2014 became only the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired (former teammate Franco Harris became the third when his No. 32 was retired in 2022). Roethlisberger also said that former teammate Troy Polamalu deserves mention near the top of any all-time Steelers list. 

"I might be biased with Troy, but I think a lot of people would put Troy in the top five," Roethlisberger said. "I think that, but again, I might be biased."

Roethlisberger apparently agrees with CBS Sports' all-time Steelers roster that has Bradshaw as the starting quarterback and Roethlisberger as the backup. Roethlisberger and Polamalu are No. 4 and No. 7, respectively, on CBS Sports' list of the top-10 greatest Steelers.