Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was at the Steelers’ joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. Roethlisberger, who retired following the 2021season, has only a few teammates left on the current Steelers roster. One of them is tight end Pat Freiermuth.
“It was great to see Ben,” Freiermuth said at the conclusion of Thursday’s joint practice. “It was great to chop it up with him. Great to see his kids. He’s one of my all-time favorites. It was great to see him.”
Surprise guest today here at @steelers and @Buccaneers joint practice is future HOFer @_BigBen7 and family. @PghSteelersNow #NFL #Steelers pic.twitter.com/DFRLKAi3Fv
— Ed Thompson (@ThompsonFoto12) August 14, 2025
Roethlisberger was also spotted talking with four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers.
Roethlisberger revealed on his Footbahlin podcast in June that he looks forward to seeing the “last glimpse of greatness” with Rodgers.
“If we’re going to take [Rodgers] for his word on that — that this is it — then you’re going to get to see one of the greatest of all time play one more season,” Roethlisberger said. “I think every week is gonna be must-see TV in a sense. … Fans of football are going to be coming out, whether it’s at home, on the road — because you want to get a glimpse of greatness one last time. I think that’ll be cool.”
Rodgers is on the verge of breaking several NFL milestones in his 21st season. He needs just 1,337 passing yards to surpass Ben Roethlisberger for the fifth-most all-time, and needs six passing touchdowns to surpass Brett Favre for fourth-most all-time.
The significant milestones could have played a part in Rodgers making one last run. But the main thing seems to be that he didn’t want to leave on a bad note, as his two-year tenure with the New York Jets was an absolute disaster. He also gets a chance to play for a historic franchise and a future Hall of Fame head coach in Mike Tomlin.
Roethlisberger looks forward to seeing Rodgers likely leaping in front of him on the all-time passing list.
“Aaron’s going to pass my all-time passing record this year,” Roethlisberger said. “Good. Records are meant to be broken.”
8️⃣ ✖️ 7️⃣@AaronRodgers12 | @_BigBen7 pic.twitter.com/3eCdAE6LhZ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 14, 2025
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Pat Freiermuth Reunites with Ben Roethlisberger at Joint Practice
