Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw didn't pull any punches when asked about his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers' dalliance with Pittsburgh.
The Hall of Fame quarterback made it abundantly clear on Tuesday that he isn't a fan of the widely expected move regardless of it becoming a drawn-out process that has lasted into late May.
"That's a joke. That is, just to me, is a joke," Bradshaw said in a radio interview with 103.7 The Buzz in Arkansas. "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, 41, has spent the offseason deciding if he wants to continue his Hall of Fame-worthy career, but indicated last week that he isn't ready for retirement. At the start of the offseason, the Steelers were one of a few potential destinations for the four-time most valuable player and remain as the most likely entering June given the Vikings and Saints have seemingly cemented their plans under center.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday on The Insiders that "it would be a surprise" at this point if Rodgers didn't sign with the Steelers. Pittsburgh opened its organized team activities on Tuesday with a completely reimagined QB room compared to last season, featuring Mason Rudolph's return after a year away and two new faces in Skylar Thompson and sixth-round rookie Will Howard.
Rodgers would only add to that revamped room following a 2024 season in which Pittsburgh's struggles on offense led to yet another quick postseason exit. Steelers players, including Rudolph, haven't seen the club's flirtation with Rodgers as a distraction despite it becoming a lengthy ordeal.
Bradshaw's negative thoughts on the situation don't stop at Rodgers, either. The four-time Super Bowl winner added that the organization has been a "failure" at the QB position dating back three years when the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round only to trade him away after just two seasons.
"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 you 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. Therefore, they're saying Kenny Pickett is a failure. He wasn't a failure, the Steelers were a failure."
The Steelers franchise has maintained excellence with great stability throughout the Super Bowl era. Bradshaw, the hallmark of that success, isn't showing any confidence in the club looking to fix an ongoing problem by adding an aged legend of another franchise.
