Roethlisberger announced Thursday via his personal Twitter account that he has retired after 18 seasons in the NFL.

EDGE Analysis

Roethlisberger previously hinted ahead of the Steelers' Week 17 win over Cleveland -- which proved to be his last game at Heinz Field -- that he was likely retiring after the season, but he waited until after Pittsburgh's wild-card round loss to Kansas City to make the matter official. A 2004 first-round pick of Pittsburgh, the 39-year-old quarterback was the longest-tenured player in franchise history and led the Steelers to two Super Bowl championships and eight division titles. He'll retire from the NFL ranking fifth all-time in passing yards (64,088) and completions (5,440) and eighth in touchdown passes (418). Roethlisberger's departure leaves Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs (toe) as the quarterbacks on the roster, but expect Pittsburgh to address the position through the upcoming NFL draft and/or the trade and free-agent market ahead of the 2022 season.