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From the moment that Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger strongly hinted about his final game in Heinz Field, to the day he officially retired via social media, the collective of Steeler Nation began sending messages thanking him for what he accomplished. This included tributes from fans, coaches, players around the league, former teammates and many other Steelers legends including Terry Bradshaw.
There has also been a uniform expectation that Roethlisberger will be making his induction speech for the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2027. And why shouldn’t he be? Roethlisberger is among the best 15 quarterbacks to ever play the game, is at the top of the record books in every major statistical category, accomplishments unmatched by any QB ever and multiple Super Bowls.
What would seem to have been a slam dunk decision to the voters may have gotten a little complicated as Tom Brady made his retirement official this past week as well. Brady’s credentials surpass that of any QB that has ever played. Even the most hard core of Steelers fans would recognize that if it came down to a choice between Brady and Roethlisberger, the selection committee would cast their vote for Brady. However, that is not how the voting works.
To be elected, a finalist must receive 80% approval from the selection committee and while there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Hall of Fame committee stipulates that between four and eight new members will be selected each year.
There is precedent for two quarterbacks to be selected in their first year of eligibility as it happened in consecutive years:
Since the start of the millennium, 9 of the 11 QBs enshrined have come on the first ballot including: Joe Montana, Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Brett Favre. Kurt Warner was elected in his second year of eligibility and Ken Stabler was elected as a senior nominee.
There really is no question that Roethlisberger is deserving among those names as a first-ballot candidate, even if Brady is also on the ballot. Perhaps the real question might arise if Aaron Rodgers also chooses to retire this off-season. Even if Rodgers continues to play, there still potentially exists a “logjam” at QB that Hall of Fame voters have never faced before.
The historic 2004 QB class that accompanied Roethlisberger will see Eli Manning eligible in 2025 and Philip Rivers eligible in 2026. While some members of the media of debated over their worthiness of the two being in the Hall of Fame, Drew Brees will also be eligible in 2026 and certainly will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Steeler Nation is well aware that the media has not embraced Roethlisberger and the NFL has taken Big Ben for granted over his career. While the status of “first-ballot” Hall of Famer has taken on more significance over the past 20 years, it nonetheless has taken root and regardless of an individuals definition of what constitutes a first-ballot inductee: Roethlisberger has earned that status to be in that select group of players to only wait five years to receive the gold jacket in Canton.
Do you think Ben Roethlisberger is a first-ballot Hall of Famer? How does he compare with the other candidates he will be measured against around the same time? Leave a comment below.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
There has also been a uniform expectation that Roethlisberger will be making his induction speech for the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2027. And why shouldn’t he be? Roethlisberger is among the best 15 quarterbacks to ever play the game, is at the top of the record books in every major statistical category, accomplishments unmatched by any QB ever and multiple Super Bowls.
What would seem to have been a slam dunk decision to the voters may have gotten a little complicated as Tom Brady made his retirement official this past week as well. Brady’s credentials surpass that of any QB that has ever played. Even the most hard core of Steelers fans would recognize that if it came down to a choice between Brady and Roethlisberger, the selection committee would cast their vote for Brady. However, that is not how the voting works.
To be elected, a finalist must receive 80% approval from the selection committee and while there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Hall of Fame committee stipulates that between four and eight new members will be selected each year.
There is precedent for two quarterbacks to be selected in their first year of eligibility as it happened in consecutive years:
- 2005: Dan Marino/Steve Young
- 2006: Warren Moon/Troy Aikman
Since the start of the millennium, 9 of the 11 QBs enshrined have come on the first ballot including: Joe Montana, Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Brett Favre. Kurt Warner was elected in his second year of eligibility and Ken Stabler was elected as a senior nominee.
There really is no question that Roethlisberger is deserving among those names as a first-ballot candidate, even if Brady is also on the ballot. Perhaps the real question might arise if Aaron Rodgers also chooses to retire this off-season. Even if Rodgers continues to play, there still potentially exists a “logjam” at QB that Hall of Fame voters have never faced before.
The historic 2004 QB class that accompanied Roethlisberger will see Eli Manning eligible in 2025 and Philip Rivers eligible in 2026. While some members of the media of debated over their worthiness of the two being in the Hall of Fame, Drew Brees will also be eligible in 2026 and certainly will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Steeler Nation is well aware that the media has not embraced Roethlisberger and the NFL has taken Big Ben for granted over his career. While the status of “first-ballot” Hall of Famer has taken on more significance over the past 20 years, it nonetheless has taken root and regardless of an individuals definition of what constitutes a first-ballot inductee: Roethlisberger has earned that status to be in that select group of players to only wait five years to receive the gold jacket in Canton.
Do you think Ben Roethlisberger is a first-ballot Hall of Famer? How does he compare with the other candidates he will be measured against around the same time? Leave a comment below.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
