Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and his brother Mike have announced they are retiring from football.
The brothers asked former Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Roster, who retired last season, to make the announcement for them.
Maurkice was a nine-time Pro Bowler or a Pro Bowler every year he was healthy. Following in the footsteps of previous great Steelers centers Ray Mansfield, Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson, the two-time all-pro started in all 134 games he played for the Steelers during his 10-year career in Pittsburgh.
Maurkice’s statement reads in part:
I’ll always love the game of football & always will be the ultimate competitor in life . . . I’m jus(t) not in love with the sacrifice football carries on my life, my beautiful daughters Jayda, Marley & my family! My family & I are forever indebted to the Rooney family, the Tomlin family, the Colbert family, the Kahn family, the Tull family, the Munchak family, the Paul family, the Glemont family, the Norwig family, the Andino family & every amazing employee (family member) that works with the Steelers organization I’m forever grateful for y’all accepting me & treating me with more than first class treatment!
It was previously reported that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wanted Pouncey to stay with him for one more season to try to win a Super Bowl, with Ben himself saying he wants to come back and is willing to work with the Rooney’s to make it happen from a salary cap standpoint.
Now that Pouncey is retiring, it opens up the question, what will Roethlisberger do?
Pouncey’s retirement also opens up a big hole at center with no obvious replacement waiting. Once the strength of the Steelers offense, the O-line is a unit in flux.