Conversations have already begun as it relates to the 2027 Pro Football Hall of Fame class and the insane number of notable players who will be eligible for the first time. Among those players is former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose career includes two Super Bowl wins, 64,088 passing yards and 418 touchdowns and the fifth-most wins in NFL history among starting quarterbacks. 

While Roethlisberger’s status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer is apparently up for debate, there is usually no arguing the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ former quarterback is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer. However, LeSean McCoy, a former All-Pro running back, doesn’t think that Roethlisberger had a Hall of Fame career based on his lack of individual accolades. 

“You should never be in the Hall of Fame if you never had no All-Pros,” McCoy said on his podcast. “Think of how that sounds. All-Pro, for the guys that don’t play football. All-Pro is the best in the league. You feel me? But I’m being serious, how the hell he not have (an) All-Pro? So, take him off.”

McCoy didn’t change his opinion when it was pointed out to him that Roethlisberger likely would have garnered more individual honors had he played in a different era that didn’t include Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. 

“For me, I can’t push your Hall of Fame with the best players of all time if you never had an All-Pro,” he said. “Think about that though. That mean you never was the best quarterback or never was the best player in your position ever.”  

Roethlisberger’s lack of individual accolades will likely be discussed when his candidacy is debated by the voters. And while McCoy doesn’t agree, it won’t keep Roethlisberger out of the Hall of Fame altogether. Roethlisberger’s individual numbers — that include his impressive wins total — are just too good for him not to earn induction at some point if he is not inducted in 2027. 

The third quarterback taken in the 2004 NFL Draft (behind Eli Manning and Philip Rivers), Roethlisberger enjoyed one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history. He won his first 12 starts (an NFL record) en route to winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

The following season, Roethlisberger became the youngest starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl after helping the Steelers become the first sixth seed to win it all. His game-saving tackle in Pittsburgh’s divisional round playoff win over the Colts kept the Steelers’ championship run alive. 

Three years later, Roethlisberger engineered one of the most famous game-winning drives in NFL history that culminated in his game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes at the end of Super Bowl XLIII. 

Two years later, Roethlisberger again helped lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl, where they were defeated by Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. And while they did not get back to another Super Bowl after that, the Steelers continued to be a perennial contender for the majority following decade largely because of Roethlisberger. 

Roethlisberger also accumulated some big numbers over that span that included becoming the first player to throw six touchdowns in consecutive games (doing so in 2014). He also owns the NFL record for most 500-yard passing performances (four). 

From 2014-18, Roethlisberger won a pair of passing titles and was named to four Pro Bowls. He also led the NFL in average passing yards per game on three occasions over that span. 

In addition to his numbers, Roethlisberger’s reputation as one of the toughest quarterbacks in NFL history to bring down also strengthens his Hall of Fame argument. 

While he isn’t sold on Roethlisberger, McCoy, thinks that one of Roethlisberger’s former teammates, Antonio Brown, is not only of being inducted in his first year of eligibility, but he also believes that Brown was better than Jerry Rice, who is considered the greatest receiver of all time. Like Roethlisberger, Brown will be eligible for induction for the first time in 2027. 

“What can Jerry Rice do that AB can’t do?” McCoy said. “I’m just saying, if AB played as long as (Rice) did, he would have more yards than him.”