He’s earned more than a quarter-billion dollars in his 18-year career and is statistically one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally published on Jan. 11. Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement from football on Jan. 27 after 18 NFL seasons.
Ben Roethlisberger earned his “Big Ben” nickname for his size and grit, but make no mistake — his career has been defined by big plays, big stats, and big paydays.
Now, thanks to some serendipity in Week 18, he’s back in the NFL postseason to make one more run at a Super Bowl. And in classic “Big Ben” fashion, Roethlisberger is the underdog against a loaded Kansas City Chiefs roster and star QB Patrick Mahomes.
But big matchups are nothing for Roethlisberger. He’s made a career (and a lot of money) out of beating the odds.
So, having maybe played his final regular-season game for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with at least one more week of suiting up in the Black & Gold, let’s have a look at the big career of stats and salary of Ben Roethlisberger.
Ben Roethlisberger’s Career Earnings
He’s arguably the greatest quarterback in Steelers’ history, and there’s no doubt he’s been handsomely paid for his handiwork through the years.
According to Spotrac, the Steelers have paid Roethlisberger $85 million in total salary through his career, but have dolled out a whopping $175 million in bonuses (signing bonus, roster bonus, restructure bonus, etc.).
Big Ben has also reportedly earned $5.5 million in incentives throughout his career.
Whether it’s a testament to his loyalty or his talent, the team-friendly salaries and bonus payments have helped Big Ben make bank.
And it’s made him the No. 3 highest-earning player in NFL history, behind only Tom Brady ($291 million) and Drew Brees ($269 million).
- Contract: Two years, $68 milloin
- Career Earnings: $267,286,864
- Estimated Net Worth: $100 million
- Endorsements: Fanatics, Nike, Panini, Sprint, Upper Deck
- Investments: Roethlisberger has invested in a medical device company called NeoLight and has his own line of barbecue sauce, Big Ben’s BBQ.
- Website: bigben7.com
While his earnings have him in the top tier of highest-paid players, his performance over the year has him hovering in the top 10 of almost every major statistical category in football.
Here’s a look at what Big Ben has done on the field, both in regular season and the playoffs.
Career Accomplishments
- Seasons: 18
- Regular Season Games: 249
- Passing Yards: 64,088
- Passing Touchdowns: 418
- Rushing Yards: 1,373
- Rushing Touchdowns: 20
- QB Rating: 93.5
Unless he surprises everybody and decides to come back for one more year, Big Ben’s regular-season stats are in the history books and most certainly have him headed to Canton.
Playoffs Performance:
Games: 22
Passing Yards: 5,757
Passing Touchdowns: 34
Rushing Yards: 246
Rushing Touchdowns: 3
He’ll get at least one more game to add to his playoff stats against the Chiefs on Sunday night in the AFC Wild Card.
Career Achievements:
- Two Super Bowl titles (2005-06, 2008-09)
- Eight AFC North championships.
- First player in the Super Bowl era to have 400+ passing yards and 5+ passing touchdowns in a playoff game.
- Six pro Bowl appearances.
- 2004 Offensive Rookie of the Year honor
- Ranks among the top 10 in every major passing statistic: 5th in completions (5,410), 8th in attempts (8,399), and 6th in yards per attempt (7.60).
- Ranks 7th all-time in passer rating (93.6)
- Sixth-most games played by any quarterback in league history (248).
- Third in league history for the most games started (246).
- Youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl in NFL history at age 23.
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