Long after the Cleveland Browns joyously left the Heinz Field playing surface and almost all of his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates had sulked their way into the locker room, Ben Roethlisberger sat on a heated bench on the sideline.

His longest-tenured teammate, Maurkice Pouncey, eventually joined him. NBC cameras caught what appeared to be tears welled up in Roethlisberger’s eyes. It was about 10 minutes after Sunday night’s 48-37 loss to the Cleveland Browns ended before Roethlisberger and Pouncey made their way into the tunnel that leads to the Steelers locker room.

“I love that guy (Pouncey),” Roethlisberger explained afterward during a video conference call with media. “He is one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever had. It’s been so much fun to share a football field with him. I hate that it ended the way it did. I just wanted to apologize to him that I wanted to win it for him.”

Pouncey has gone on record in the past that he wants to retire when Roethlisberger does. And Roethlisberger said after a game earlier this season he would stop playing if he didn’t feel he was playing well enough.

After a game in which he threw four interceptions that contributed to the end of the Steelers’ season, Roethlisberger didn’t sound like a player who wanted it to be the game that ended his 17-year career.

“It’s going to start between me and God, a lot of praying,” Roethlisberger said of his plans for 2021. “A lot of talking with my family, discussions, decisions. I still have a year left on my contract. I hope the Steelers want me back, if that’s the way we go. There will be a lot of discussions. But now is not the time for that.”

The fourth INT for Ben Roethlisberger:

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Va7tFRMo7l

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2021

Roethlisberger set NFL postseason records with 68 attempts and 47 completions, and he had 501 yards and four touchdowns in defeat Sunday. But the four interceptions, of course, were highly harmful to the Steelers’ cause. And considering he turns 39 in March and his play deteriorated down the stretch of this season, there are legitimate questions about whether Roethlisberger still can play at the level that has him ticketed for the Hall of Fame.

Asked if he believes Roethlisberger still can play at a high level, coach Mike Tomlin succinctly answered, “I do.”

Roethlisberger’s current longest-tenured wide receiver agreed.

“If it was up to me, yes, I would love to have him back,” said JuJu Smith-Schuster, also an unrestricted free agent and not guarantee to remain with the Steelers. “He’s an amazing guy. I’ve known him for four years of my life, and I watched him growing up. To have the opportunity to play with him again would be unbelievable. It’s up to him and his family and the man above to decide.”

Roethlisberger has flirted in the past with retirement, but after missing all but six quarters of the 2019 season, gave a determined effort to return following elbow surgery. Roethlisberger this season repeatedly had positive things to say about this particular group of teammates, a group that endured an NFL season unlike any before because it was staged during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ben Roethlisberger tonight:

47/68 Att/Comp501 Pass Yards4 TD4 Int

Left it all out there ? pic.twitter.com/bTMt9uhE9I

— ESPN (@espn) January 11, 2021

“I enjoy the guys,” Roethlisberger said. “Missed the fans this year. Obviously, that’s a big part of this game. We’ve got the best fans in the world. I need to apologize to them for tonight, the rest of my teammates, for the way I played. Very disappointing. I hate it for our fans. I hate it for my teammates. But I enjoy playing this game for those reasons.”

Roethlisberger is scheduled to make $19 million in 2021 under the final season of his contract. He will account, as things stand, for $41.25 million on the Steelers’ salary cap, according to spotrac.com. If Roethlisberger retires or is released, the Steelers would need to account for $21.25 million in “dead money,” although a restructure is possible.

Backup Mason Rudolph also is entering the final year of his contract.

Roethlisberger did not tip his hand too much on his plans for a possible retirement.

“This loss is fresh,” he said. “It’s just sitting on our hearts and our minds right now. It will for a while.”

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