Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had some advice for his former teammate and current Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich in regards to Tom Brady.
While appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday, Roethlisberger expressed how excited he was for Brady to play for Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians, who was on the Steelers coaching staff from 2004 to 2011.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback also reached out to Leftwich, who spent four seasons of his nine-year NFL career backing up Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh.
“Byron Leftwich, I texted Byron and said, like, ‘Hey, don’t screw it up,’” Roethlisberger said. “And he said, ‘All I got to do is get out of the way.’ It’s going to be good for him. I’m excited for all of them.”
Leftwich, whose first NFL coaching gig was as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the Cardinals, is about to embark on his second season as offensive coordinator in Tampa.
Considering Brady, who signed a two-year, $50 million deal with the Buccaneers this offseason, has been playing in the NFL longer than Leftwich’s playing and coaching career combined, it’s understandable why Leftwich would give Brady freedom.