Steelers GM: Roethlisberger has 3-4 more 'prime' years

No longer boasting a dominant defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers' chances of chasing down another Super Bowl trophy depend largely on the play of Ben Roethlisberger.

The star quarterback turned 34 earlier in March, and is now entering his 13th season with the team, but general manager Kevin Colbert believes he has at least a few strong seasons left in the tank.

"Ben's a franchise quarterback," Colbert said this offseason, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "There are a few that have two (or more Super Bowls since 2004), but he's one of those few. "We're very fortunate. We still have, you know, we think three to four more good years in his prime. We're excited to see what he can do in that time period and what we can do to help him be successful."

Football players, and athletes in general, tend to experience a fairly steady decline after reaching the wrong side of 30. Having gotten better with age, Roethlisberger appears to be one of the rare exceptions to that rule.

The veteran signal-caller put together the most productive season of his NFL career in leading the Steelers to an 11-5 record in 2014, throwing for 4,952 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions.

Though his interception numbers were up in 2015, he likely could have finished the year with even more passing yards were it not for the injuries that forced him to miss four games.

If Roethlisberger can continue to play at that level for as long as Colbert envisions, leading the way for a supremely talented offense, the Steelers could certainly contend for several more titles in the years to come.