Ben Roethlisberger: ‘I think Mitchell Trubisky is the starter’

Big Ben is no longer playing football for the Pittsburgh Steelers — but he’s still talking Pittsburgh Steelers football.

The former Steelers signal-caller is hosting his own podcast, and in the inaugural episode of “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” he discussed the franchise’s QB situation now that his career has come to an end. 

And for Big Ben, the immediate answer is the experienced candidate.

“In my opinion, I think Mitchell Trubisky is the starter,” Roethlisberger said. “He should start. I think he’s a veteran, he’s been around for a while. He gives you, in my opinion, the best chance to win right now.”

The Steelers’ official depth chart was released Monday with Trubisky in the No. 1 spot, followed by Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett. Trubisky was also named one of the Steelers’ five captains for 2022, the team announced.

Roethlisberger said Pickett — the 20th pick in this year’s draft out of Pittsburgh — has “done a great job” and “had a great preseason,” but could benefit from extra time in the passenger’s seat.

“You watch him, from what I’ve seen in the preseason, [and] you wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, man he’s a rookie, he’s got some learning curves.’ … I think he’s done a great job. I think though it would benefit him, and I would say this about almost all rookie quarterbacks: It benefits you to sit behind a veteran for a little bit of time.”

Pickett shined during the preseason, completing 29 of 36 passes (80.6%) for 261 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions (124.7 passer rating).

In five professional seasons, Trubisky has a 29-21 overall record. He’s completed 64.1% of his passes and tallied 186.9 passing yards per game, alongside 64 career touchdowns and 38 career interceptions.

“People are so excited for Kenny, which they should be,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s a Pitt kid. He played at Pitt, and so [Steeler Nation is] super excited for him. But I just hope the fans don’t, the first time that Mitch doesn’t play well, they don’t start booing … because listen, it’s going to happen. … So, it’ll be interesting to see.”

Roethlisberger served as the starter in Pittsburgh for 18 seasons. During his rookie year, he started 13 games, going 13-0 in the regular season.