The 49ers were in dire straits for a moment there in the 2022 campaign.
Trey Lance went down for the season in Week 2. Jimmy Garoppolo took over and had what was perhaps the best season of his career, throwing for 16 TDs and 4 INTs before breaking his foot against the Miami Dolphins.
At that point, all bets were off. No one knew what Brock Purdy could offer, and there was nothing behind him until Josh Johnson was signed.
As it turns out, the 49ers made some rounds.
According to Ben Roethlisberger in an interview with Mark Madden at 105.9 The X, the 49ers gave a call to the just-retired 41-year-old.
Last year, there were some truths to the Niners thing. They were, I think, reaching out maybe just to gauge my interest. I had discussions. I don’t want to sit here and say I was going or anything like that. They called me to gauge interest…
I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a small part of me that was intrigued, like, ‘Oh man, I could still do it,’ and prove to people that I could still play. At the end of the day, I just can’t see myself in anything other than black and gold.
Even though they had a great chance, I think, to win a Super Bowl, it would’ve been hard for me to go try and win a Super Bowl anywhere else but here.
Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season when Pittsburgh lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Kansas City Chiefs. He said he’s happily retired and appreciates the fact that his body isn’t dealing with the wear and tear of an NFL season.
Listen to the full interview here: