NFL quarterbacks are having a rough start to the season

Drew Brees. — (Image credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

Paychecks aside, now is not the best time to be an NFL quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Monday that longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will undergo elbow surgery and miss the remainder of the season. In related news, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is also expected to have surgery, though the operation on his thumb will reportedly only sideline him for six weeks. Still, it's a tough loss for the Saints, who have Super Bowl aspirations.

It's been a rough season for quarterbacks, in general. At the end of the offseason, 29-year-old Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck surprisingly announced his retirement from the game, and, shortly after that, Jacksonville Jaguars signal caller Nick Foles broke his collarbone in the team's opener. Sam Darnold of the New York Jets, meanwhile, is dealing with mononucleosis and will be out for a while, as well. Philadelphia Eagles fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief Sunday night when the oft-injured Carson Wentz exited the game for a few plays before coming back onto the field, but the fear around the league is palpable.

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And yet, despite this apparent quarterback epidemic, 42-year-old Tom Brady continues to chug along unscathed, as fans of the other 31 NFL franchises brace themselves for another possible New England Patriots trophy.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.