Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger indicated he plans to continue playing in 2020 after suffering a season-ending elbow injury. 

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Monday that Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the year, leading some to wonder whether the 37-year-old would walk away from the NFL altogether. He released a statement on the team's official website ruling out that possibility:

"I've been informed that I need season ending surgery on my elbow to continue playing football at the level I expect. This is shocking and heartbreaking for me, to miss this much of a season and feel like I am letting down so many people. I can only trust God's plan, but I am completely determined to battle through this challenge and come back stronger than ever next season. The Steelers committed three years to me this offseason and I fully intend to honor my contract and reward them with championship level play. I will do all I can to support Mason and the team this season to help win games. I love this game, my teammates, the Steelers organization and fans, and I feel in my heart I have a lot left to give."

Roethlisberger signed a two-year, $68 million extension with Pittsburgh in April that will keep him under contract through 2021.

That represented a firm commitment a little over a year after he created some doubt over his long-term future. Following the Steelers' divisional-round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, he said he was "playing it one year at a time" and "not going to look past one year."

Monday's announcement isn't surprising but sets up what could be a tricky dynamic to navigate for Pittsburgh next offseason.

Mason Rudolph went 12-of-19 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 28-26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. With Roethlisberger out, Rudolph could play well enough and position himself as the starter for 2020 and beyond.

The Athletic's Ed Bouchette wrote one alternative is Rudolph struggling and the 0-2 Steelers finishing with a bad enough record to potentially select a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 draft.

The Indianapolis Colts were in a similar situation when neck surgery forced Peyton Manning to miss the entire 2011 season. The Colts finished 2-14 as a result, which allowed them to land Andrew Luck with the first pick in the 2012 draft. The Colts avoided a QB controversy by releasing Manning, which allowed him to sign with the Denver Broncos.

Roethlisberger's injury forces the Steelers to reset the bar for success in 2019. Especially if they drop Sunday's game to the San Francisco 49ers to fall to 0-3, Rudolph's development will become the team's biggest priority.