Ben Roethlisberger let it be known on his podcast last week that he is willing to consult with the Pittsburgh Steelers for their head coach search. They didn’t take him up on that offer, but he put on his GM hat anyway and laid out his best offseason plan to get the team back on track.

“I would strongly consider a couple things. My first thought is I want an offensive-minded head coach. That’s what I would do if I was the general manager. We’ve had defensive-minded coaches in here. That’s what they’ve all been, and I’m ready for an offensive guy. I wanna score more than six points in a postseason game,” Roethlisberger said via his Footbahlin podcast. “I would love a younger offensive-minded head coach that is maybe an up-and-comer that you’re gonna bring in here to focus on the offense…And then I would say, here’s what you need to do. You need to bring a defensive coordinator in that is a veteran defensive coordinator. Maybe a guy that’s already had a head coaching job that doesn’t want to be a head coach anymore.”

Roethlisberger said similar things last week about hiring an offensive-minded head coach before any candidates were known. Of the nine coaches linked to the Steelers in this process, just three come from an offensive background: Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, 49ers OC Klay Kubiak, and former Packers and Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy.

While he later endorses the idea of bringing in McCarthy, that doesn’t fit his original vision of an up-and-comer. Scheelhaase (35) and Kubiak (37) do, as this would be their first shot at being a head coach. In Roethlisberger’s scenario, it’s important to pair them with an established defensive coordinator who would be willing to stick around in Pittsburgh for more than just a year or two before climbing the ranks to a head coaching job. In other words, he is looking for another Dick LeBeau.

Those are tough to come by. But perhaps Kubiak would be able to bring somebody like Gus Bradley along with him from the 49ers, for example. Wink Martindale could be another option as a longtime NFL coordinator who the University of Michigan just let go.

Although Mike Tomlin was more of a defensive-minded coach, he clearly had his fingerprints on everything the team did. His philosophies on engineering victory were evident in the way they played offense. They were a big reason why they hired Arthur Smith in the first place – to fit that identity. Roethlisberger is advocating for more separation, where the defensive coordinator has full control over the unit.

With the coaching sorted out, Roethlisberger shifted his attention to the personnel on the roster. It’s an aging group, and he thinks it’s important to make sure they don’t rip the band-aid off all at once with the established veterans.

“Sometimes new guys wanna come in and kind of, let’s start a new culture now. It’s gonna be a Steeler culture, but it’s gonna be new,” Roethlisberger said before listing off several veterans who have been around the team for years. “Do I think some of those guys should stay? Absolutely. But new coaches may not feel the same way.”

If it were up to Roethlisberger, he would bring all those veterans back, ensuring there is some continuity with the culture.

He also advocates for the Steelers to start 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard in 2026. Roethlisberger suggests at least a two- or three-year runway for Howard to see what they have. That includes not drafting anybody high up for at least a couple of seasons.

“I would not draft a quarterback for at least two to three years. That’s just my opinion,” he said. “The issue that I see with a lot of teams is they get a quarterback, and they try and build around that quarterback. I think it should be the other way around. I think you should build a team and put your quarterback in it.”

The 2026 NFL Draft is scarce in QB talent, and the Steelers aren’t in a position to draft one, anyway. It suits them best to heavily invest in and build up the rest of the roster. The offensive line is already well on its way, but ensuring there are good receivers and skill position players to help the future quarterback is key.

The Steelers absolutely cannot afford another failed first-round quarterback. Kenny Pickett probably wasn’t ever going to be the guy, even in the best possible situation. But they threw him to the wolves with a bad offensive line, no run game, and Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator. They have to protect their investment better next time.

In short, Roethlisberger is calling for a philosophical reset—modernize the offense, preserve the culture, build the roster first, and don’t set the next young quarterback up to fail.