The Pittsburgh Steelers are an organization to be trusted. Despite a few down seasons from time to time, the franchise is the model which others strive to be. They’re the very definition of consistency. In the 2004 NFL Draft, the Steelers drafted a quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger, a big kid from a small school who came in and set the NFL world on fire as a rookie, going 13-0 during the regular season, and 14-1 overall. He would go on to become, arguably, the greatest quarterback in team history, winning two Super Bowls in the process. He also has set franchise records for passing yards, quarterback rating, touchdowns, and many other statistics. However, as Roethlisberger finishes up his tenth season in the league, questions have begun to arise about the 31-year old star.

One of the things that could be pointed to in favor of looking for his replacement is his age combined with his injury history. At 31, he’s not too old to succeed, as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have proven this season. Roethlisberger, though, has some issues to go along with that. With a style of play that results in taking a lot of hits, he also misses a lot of time. This season will be just the second time in his career that he played all 16 games. He also plays with nagging injuries seemingly every year. Many fans worry that the next injury could be a major one.

Another factor is salary. Big Ben is scheduled to make big bucks over the next two seasons, the last two of the eight-year contract he signed prior to the 2008 season. The final two years of the deal will pay him approximately 37 million dollars. That’s a large chunk of cash to a team that had to do a lot of work to get under the salary cap this year. The Steelers would love to have that money to shore up other positions on the roster.

Roethlisberger isn’t likely to be cut, but the Steelers could draft a quarterback in 2014 to sit behind him, and then replace him once his contract is up. The question is whether that would be the prudent thing to do in light of all that Ben has done for the franchise. The 2014 quarterback class, while not finalized yet, has some strength, and might make this a good year to pull the trigger. Pittsburgh will likely have a relatively high pick, and could get a nice prospect in the first few rounds.

Ultimately, the team will need to decide whether they want Ben to retire in Pittsburgh or move on in a few years. The Steelers could go ahead and draft a quarterback now in preparation for the 2016 season. However, facing a roster in need of upgrades at several positions, and the fact that they will probably be coming off of a second consecutive year of missing the playoffs, they will more likely be focused on winning now. Ben Roethlisberger is still playing at an elite level, even with a diminished offensive line and a lack of weapons around him. There’s a chance that a major injury could change that, but it’s just as risky to rely on a young quarterback to take over with as much efficiency. The Steelers won’t, and shouldn’t, be ready to reboot at this point. The correct move is to use this draft to fix the issues up front and give Roethlisberger a stronger team around him. In the end, they’ll make the right move. They’re the Steelers. It’s what they do.