Ben Roethlisberger Sends Steelers Reality Check After Jalen Ramsey-Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Ben Roethlisberger has taken up the role of a serial podcaster after retiring as a legend from the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the franchise making some big-time moves, the former Steelers quarterback broke it down on his show, ‘Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.’
Talking about the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, Roethlisberger said he was caught off guard to an extent. His eye test saw Fitzpatrick’s production dipping, but he didn’t realize how severe it was.
The Super Bowl-winning QB said, “People had talked about the lack of interceptions, the lack of splash, the big play wasn’t there for Minkah the last year or two.”
But even he didn’t see them going this far with it. There were rumblings in and around the building about certain ‘mistakes’ being made, but it is unclear whether the former Alabama Crimson Tide player was making them or if it was someone else.
Roethlisberger also pointed out that as a cornerback or defensive back, your interceptions could go down year-to-year if opposing quarterbacks start being careful around you and don’t throw the ball in your direction.
So what should be a positive reflection on their performance turns out to lessen the impact seen on paper.
However, Roethlisberger sees the Steelers losing key cultural figures. He believes that the current roster doesn’t encapsulate the essence of being in that locker room. They are just one or two-year guys who have just seen the Steelers but don’t understand what it means.
Losing key leadership like Fitzpatrick will only worsen this problem. The former Pittsburgh QB thinks some teammates will be pretty upset with the DB’s exit.
On top of that, Roethlisberger believes that Jalen Ramsey is not the most impactful acquisition in the trade.
He said, “I think it’s Jonnu Smith, the tight end that comes in, to me, that might be the bigger deal. I’m not trying to take anything away from Ramsey. He’s a special talent; he’s a dude that can really open up the field. He’s a wide receiver playing tight end kind of a guy.”
Coming from the offensive side of the ball, Roethlisberger might be biased going with the tight end, but he does see him bringing a different factor to the team.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
