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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Will ‘Big Ben’ be back in the NFL? This is a question going through every NFL fan at the moment as Ben Roethlisberger is showing signs of coming out of retirement. And the legendary QB has also shown a keen interest in joining a team that may be on their way to the Super Bowl. If Roethlisberger does join them though, he will solve a big problem for the franchise.

Roethlisberger retired from the league after the 2021 season. 

The Ben Roethlisberger comeback

Ben Roethlisberger spent 18 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in January 2022. But if he does come back to the league, he is thinking about another team which looks to be in need of a quarterback. And that franchise is NFC juggernauts San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have lost their two quarterbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, to injury. Rookie QB Brock Purdy stepped up in the franchise’s last two games to fill that void. But now there are concerns about his own health.

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“I thought about it. That team is one of the better teams in football and that defense is really stinking good and they did it with Purdy,” Roethlisberger said on his ‘Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger’ podcast.

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Purdy has impressed in his two outings with the Niners, but he apparently got hurt in the week 14 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though his oblique muscle injury is not a big concern, the Niners can’t afford to lose another QB. So, Roethlisberger to San Francisco makes perfect sense.

The Brock Purdy injury scare 

Brock Purdy played out of his skin against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday. But he came out of the game with a fresh injury concern for the Niners. The young QB is questionable for the Thursday showdown against the Seattle Seahawks. Although it might not be a big injury as Purdy got injured on the second drive of the week 14 game and still played very well till the end.

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The Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said he has an oblique muscle injury although it won’t get worse if he plays. So, Purdy will probably play against the Seahawks. 

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The Niners are on the top of the NFC West table with a 9-4 overall record after 14 weeks of action. And with the playoffs approaching, they might well need a quarterback, even if it is as a backup to Purdy. And a 40-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion can be more than just a backup.

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