Getty Image / Dilip Vishwanat
Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through some major changes at quarterback during the 2022 season.
One of those changes was expected, with Trey Lance taking over at quarterback to start his 2nd year in the league.
Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury in the 2nd game of the year.
Luckily for the 49ers, they still had Jimmy Garoppolo on their roster and he returned to being the team’s starter after having led the team the previous 5 years.
10 games later, Garoppolo joined Lance on the injury report.
Brock Purdy was the next man up for the 49ers, but nobody really knew what to expect from the rookie after he had been the previous draft’s last pick.
He ended up being a perfect fit for the 9ers and led them to the NFC Championship Game, but it looks like the team considered another option.
Today, Ben Roethlisberger told 105.9 The X’s Mark Madden that the had discussions with the 49ers about making a comeback during the season.
If you missed @_BigBen7 today on the @MarkMaddenX show, we got you covered! Listen to the entire interview here 👇👇 https://t.co/QgEMpuqZbN
— 105.9 The X (@1059thex) March 21, 2023
They were, I think, reaching out maybe just to gauge my interest. I had discussions, I’d be lying if I I didn’t say there was a small part of me that was intrigued. I could still do it and prove to people that I could still play.
Roethlisberger had shown clear decline near the end of his NFL career, but could have been an interesting option for QB-needy teams during the season.
He was just a season removed from throwing for 3740 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Seeing Ben Roethlisberger return would have been fun for football fans, but things worked out a lot better for the 49ers the way everything actually played out.
Now they may just have to deal with some quarterback controversy for next year with Lance and Purdy both still on the roster.