Terry Bradshaw calls Steelers’ pursuit of Aaron Rodgers ‘a joke’

A contract agreement between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers almost feels inevitable at this point, which is much to the chagrin of one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

NFL on FOX analyst Terry Bradshaw criticized his former team’s interest in Rodgers during an appearance on 103.7 The Buzz’s “Morning Mayhem” in Arkansas, calling it a “joke.”

“That’s a joke. That to me is just a joke,” Bradshaw said. “What are you going to do? Bring him in for one year. Are you kidding me? That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the Gods out there.”

Rodgers has been linked to the Steelers ever since free agency opened in March. While the two sides haven’t agreed to a deal quite yet, both parties have indicated that they’re hopeful a contract agreement will happen at some point. In fact, Rodgers dropped another hint over the weekend that he’s likely to end up in Pittsburgh for the 2025 NFL season.

As for the Steelers’ side, president Art Rooney II told reporters at the league meetings last week that that team is willing to wait “a little while longer” for Rodgers to make his decision. In April, Rooney told Steelers Nation Radio that Rodgers “does want to come here.”

The Steelers’ entanglement with Rodgers is just the latest swing they’ve made at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 season. They brought in veterans Russell Wilson and Justin Fields prior to the 2024 season in hopes that either would elevate their roster, which had made the postseason the year prior.

Wilson helped Pittsburgh make the playoffs again in 2024, but he faltered down the stretch, leading the team to let him to walk in free agency. However, Bradshaw thinks the biggest mistake the Steelers have made at quarterback over the last few years was their development of 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

Kenny Pickett threw 15 touchdowns to 14 interceptions over 30 games with the Steelers. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“I liked Kenny Pickett,” Bradshaw said. “I liked him at Pitt. I know him, I know what he’s like. When they got him to Pittsburgh, they didn’t protect him, they didn’t get him an offensive line. They wanted to run the football, but they didn’t have an offensive line that could protect and they didn’t have weapons. He had no wide receivers to speak of.”

“Then they throw a kid in there for two years, and you’ve got an offense that doesn’t fit and doesn’t work, and they can’t run because their offensive line’s not even good enough for a run-blocking team. Now, they’re saying Kenny Pickett is a failure. He wasn’t a failure, the Steelers were a failure.”

FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd seems to agree with Bradshaw about the Steelers’ approach to the quarterback position over the last few years. On Wednesday’s “The Herd,” Cowherd noted that Rodgers is opting to sit out voluntary practices while other star quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen, are still practicing with their respective teams. But he also thinks the Steelers aren’t blameless in failing to get Rodgers signed at this point, either.

“Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers have something in common: Neither takes the duty of quarterback with great urgency,” Cowherd said. “Both the Steelers and Aaron have a ‘We’ll get to it eventually,’ ‘I’ll sign with a team eventually’ or ‘We’ll figure out the quarterback eventually’ [approach]. Think about San Francisco and Kyle Shanahan, they just signed Brock Purdy to a massive deal and yet, this year in the draft, Kyle says, ‘I want another quarterback’ and they draft a kid out of Indiana. The Green Bay Packers, they draft quarterbacks three years before they let them see the field.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their left tackle, their top two quarterbacks, their top receiver and a really good running back in Najee Harris, and their answer is, ‘Eh, we think Aaron’s our quarterback, but we’re not really sure.’ The Steelers have become the 66-year-old guy who has never put a penny in his 401K and is trying to convince us that [he’s got a plan].”

For much of the offseason, Cowherd had questioned Rodgers’ fit with the Steelers and wondered if he and head coach Mike Tomlin would mesh. After Bradshaw’s take on the situation, though, he’s reconsidered that stance.

“I had an epiphany. I had been saying Aaron and the Steelers are a bad fit. I’m wrong. It’s a great fit,” Cowherd said. “In life, what’s the rule? You’ve got to find someone who matches your energy? The Steelers at quarterback: ‘We’ll get to it.’ Aaron on committing: ‘Eh, maybe later.’

“I am here for the dysfunction. The whole time, I’ve been like, ‘This is a weird fit.’ There’s a reason the Steelers are near the top of the NFL in longest playoff win droughts. … More than ever, it’s much easier to predict who’s going to win each division based on who has the best quarterback, does he have a good offensive coach and do they treat the position with importance and urgency. Steelers don’t, Aaron doesn’t. It’s a match made in heaven.”

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