Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
But based on voters’ recent history and the presence of another two-time Super Bowl champion at quarterback who still hasn’t gotten in, Roethlisberger might not become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
At least, that’s how CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala sees things.
Appearing on the 93.7 The Fan PM Show with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller Wednesday, Kinkhabwala stated that nobody is a slam dunk anymore, considering Bill Belichick didn’t get in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and that Manning and Roethlisberger could cancel each other out for the 2027 class.
“Eli and Ben, result-wise, resume-wise, you could make arguments are similar. In other ways, you can’t. And I covered Eli, I’m a huge fan of Eli’s in a million ways. The leader he was, who he was in the locker room, his availability. But there’s a different eye test. Ben Roethlisberger, if you just watch the eye test, looks like a different quarterback than Eli Manning does,” Kinkhabwala said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Ben Roethlisberger looks like a Hall of Famer, looks a certain way that maybe Eli doesn’t. Neither of them were an MVP, but Eli was a two-time Super Bowl. MVP. Ben doesn’t have a Super Bowl MVP. Then again, Ben had this track record of success. What Ben did during seasons was very dominant. Eli had two very dominant playoff runs.
“I mean, you could sit and argue this every which way, but it’s how voters value it. You can certainly see voters picking one over the other. I don’t know the whole process. If there’s anything we’ve seen this season is that it’s a little convoluted and who knows?”
Prior to the announcement of the Class of 2026, it seemed inconceivable that Roethlisberger would be anything but a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was one of the very best QBs of his generation, has the individual stats to put him on a pedestal, and has the two Super Bowl titles.
But with Belichick not getting in as a first-ballot head coach, one of the greatest ever, it raises plenty of questions and concerns about the voting process moving forward.
Manning does have the two Super Bowl MVPs on his resume, but his individual stats don’t come close to Roethlisberger’s.
As you can see, Roethlisberger trounces Manning in every individual passing statistic, not to mention rushing. They’re tied in Super Bowl wins, but Roethlisberger has more Pro Bowls. Manning has the edge with Super Bowl MVPs.
That could matter to voters.
But it’s about the whole resume, and Roethlisberger’s resume is pretty darn strong. It would be surprising if he weren’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The voting process and how things have played out in recent years throws that into a bit of disarray though.
“It’s not that I’m hardly convinced [of Roethlisberger as a first-ballot Hall of Famer], but I mean, after what we saw this year. Luke Kuechly took a year to get in and it, it’s who’s a slam dunk anymore and how do they cancel each other out?” Kinkhabwala said. “So how many slam dunks, how many do you have a year that are first-year inductees?”
It shouldn’t be that hard. There is an eye test, and Roethlisberger passes it with flying colors. He passes the statistics test, too, and has the Super Bowl trophies to boot.
Yet based on how things played out with the voting this year, there are some questions about who is and isn’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And Roethlisberger finds himself right in the middle of that question entering his first year of eligibility.
Recommended for you