Ben Roethlisberger (7) and Maurkice Pouncey (53) walk off the field together for the last time. Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey have shown a ton of mutual respect for one another since the Pittsburgh Steelers season ended, and that was turned up another notch this week when Pouncey announced his retirement.

Pouncey and his twin brother Mike issued a statement on Friday confirming that they will not play in 2021. Roethlisberger then spoke in an interview about how he is having trouble processing the news. The quarterback then shared a nice tribute to Pouncey on Twitter, and Pouncey returned the love.

Roethlisberger is expected to play at least one more season, but he has not made his decision official. There has not been talk about whether Pouncey’s retirement will influence Big Ben’s own playing future.

Pouncey and Roethlisberger had an emotional exchange on the bench following Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. Big Ben said how badly he felt for his teammate, as Pouncey never won a Super Bowl with the Steelers. You can see the video of the exchange here.

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