The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL.
Their hatred runs deeper than most people realize.
And Big Ben revealed one truth Cleveland Browns fans will never escape.
Big Ben takes a shot at Cleveland Browns during podcast appearance
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spent 18 seasons terrorizing AFC North defenses.
But nobody felt the pain more than Cleveland Browns fans.
Big Ben won more games in Cleveland than most Browns quarterbacks managed during his era.
The two-time Super Bowl champion appeared on the "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger" podcast where he was asked about playing for different teams.
When the topic of the Browns came up, Roethlisberger couldn’t resist twisting the knife.
"It’d be hard to fit into Cleveland because I win," Big Ben said.¹
https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1942710680320368809
The comment perfectly captured the misery Browns fans endured during Roethlisberger’s career.
From 2004 to 2021, the Browns were one of the most dysfunctional franchises in professional sports.
They cycled through countless quarterbacks while Big Ben dominated the division.
Cleveland Browns suffered through quarterback carousel while Big Ben dominated
The numbers tell the brutal story of Cleveland’s quarterback failures.
During Roethlisberger’s 18-year career, the Browns started 40 different quarterbacks.²
That’s more than two different starting quarterbacks per season.
Some of the forgettable names include Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, Johnny Manziel, DeShone Kizer, and Cody Kessler.
None of them could match what Big Ben accomplished against their own team.
Roethlisberger went 26-2-1 against the Browns during his career.³
He threw for 6,896 yards and 43 touchdowns against Cleveland.⁴
The Browns’ home stadium practically became Big Ben’s personal playground.
He was 11-2-1 in Cleveland during his career.⁵
Many Browns quarterbacks didn’t even win 13 games total during their entire Cleveland careers.
The franchise was so desperate for success that they traded multiple draft picks for the right to draft Johnny Manziel.
That disaster lasted just two seasons before Manziel was out of the league.
Big Ben’s comment highlights Browns’ decades of futility
Roethlisberger’s joke about winning wasn’t just trash talk.
It was a statement of fact that Browns fans can’t deny.
The Browns didn’t make the playoffs once during Big Ben’s first 16 seasons.
They finally ended their playoff drought in 2020 when they snuck into the postseason as a wild card.
But even then, they couldn’t escape the Steelers’ shadow.
Pittsburgh still won the AFC North that year.
The Browns’ franchise has been a model of incompetence for decades.
They’ve had nine different head coaches since 2000.
The organization has drafted countless busts in the first round.
Meanwhile, the Steelers built a dynasty with Big Ben under center.
He helped Pittsburgh win two Super Bowl titles and make three Super Bowl appearances.
The Steelers made the playoffs 12 times during Big Ben’s career.
They won the AFC North eight times with Roethlisberger as their quarterback.
Browns fans can’t argue with Big Ben’s track record
The painful truth is that Big Ben was more successful playing in Cleveland than any Browns quarterback during his era.
His .788 winning percentage in Cleveland was better than most Browns quarterbacks’ overall winning percentage.
Baker Mayfield had the best record of any Browns quarterback during Big Ben’s career.
He went 23-23 as a starter in Cleveland.
That’s a .500 winning percentage, which was considered a massive success for the Browns.
Big Ben’s record against Cleveland was nearly 80%.
The gap between the two franchises during Roethlisberger’s career was enormous.
Pittsburgh was a model of stability and success.
Cleveland was a cautionary tale about how not to run an NFL franchise.
Browns fans spent nearly two decades watching their biggest rival’s quarterback dominate their team.
They couldn’t do anything about it except hope for better days.
The rivalry continues with new quarterbacks
Both teams have moved on to new quarterbacks since Big Ben’s retirement.
The Steelers are now led by Aaron Rodgers.
The Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a massive guaranteed contract.
But Watson has struggled with injuries and poor play since arriving in Cleveland.
The Browns are back to their old ways of quarterback instability.
Meanwhile, the Steelers hope they continue to find ways to win games.
Some things may never change in the AFC North.
Big Ben’s comment about winning in Cleveland will sting Browns fans for years to come.
But they can’t argue with the facts.
He dominated their team for nearly two decades.
The pain of those memories won’t fade anytime soon.
Cleveland Browns fans hoped retirement would finally silence Big Ben’s trash talk.
But even in retirement, he’s still finding ways to remind them of their failures.
¹ Steelers Depot, X post, July 8, 2025.
² Wikipedia, "List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks," May 27, 2025.
³ StatMuse, "Ben Roethlisberger Career Record Vs. Browns," 2025.
⁴ StatMuse, "Ben Roethlisberger Stats Vs Browns," 2025.
⁵ Ibid.