Ben Roethlisberger Retires, 'The Time Has Come'

Ben Roethlisberger's time as an NFL quarterback has come to an end ... the Pittsburgh Steelers star just retired.

The future Hall of Famer made the announcement in an emotional video on Thursday morning ... saying straight-up, "The time has come."

"I retire from football a truly grateful man," the 39-year-old said.

With his career now over, Big Ben will go down as one of the best QBs to ever play the game.

In his 18 seasons in the NFL -- all with Pittsburgh -- he won two Super Bowls and was selected to 6 Pro Bowls. He logged 64,088 passing yards and tallied 418 passing TDs.

His retirement, meanwhile, leaves a gaping hole for the Steelers at the quarterback position -- as the team now no longer has a surefire QB1 on its roster for the first time in nearly two decades.

"To all my teammates and the endless friendships that I've gained, I appreciate you and our shared commitment to wearing the black and gold with pride and dignity," Ben said.