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Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made headlines for his recent comments about Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.
While speaking on his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former quarterback fielded a question about whether he'd rather have Aaron Rodgers in his prime or present-day Mahomes under center.
Although Roethlisberger did praise Mahomes, he ultimately said he'd taken Rodgers, who recently signed with the Steelers, if it were during the prime of his career. However, his reasoning behind the choice is what grabbed attention.
Roethlisberger stated that Mahomes is "just entering out of his prime."
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs stands for the national anthem before Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome. Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
"I think Aaron Rodgers in his prime was one of the top few to ever do it, and so is Patrick Mahomes in his prime. Patrick Mahomes is just entering out of his prime," Roethlisberger stated.
"I think Patrick Mahomes is phenomenal. He's going to go down as, you know, another arguable GOAT. You know what I mean? There's only like one GOAT, but there's GOATs."
Roethlisberger then chose Rodgers in his prime, but admitted if the question were about both players in their prime, he'd have to "think really hard on that."
"I think Aaron in his prime, then we're talking about Patrick right now. If we're talking prime and prime, then I'm going to have to think really hard on that."
The comment about Mahomes exiting his prime didn't sit well with the quarterback's trainer, Bobby Stroupe, who had a pointed response for Roethlisberger.
"Not everybody quits working out at 30 years old, Ben," Stroupe posted on X.
Mahomes has led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons, with Kansas City winning the championship three times, in 2019, 2022 and 2023. He's also been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice (2018 and 2022) while earning Super Bowl MVP honors in each of the team's three victories.
Patrick Mahomes' Trainer Fires Back at Ben Roethlisberger After Latest Comments first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025
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