Bradshaw rips Steelers for Rodgers pursuit: 'That's a joke'

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw isn't a fan of how his former team has handled its quarterback situation in recent years, including its pursuit of Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

"That's a joke. That, to me, is a joke," Bradshaw said Tuesday on "103.7 The Buzz." "What are you gonna 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."

Pittsburgh has been linked to Rodgers throughout the offseason but has yet to sign the veteran passer. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said recently the team will wait "a little while longer" for the four-time NFL MVP to make a decision on his football future.

The Steelers are reportedly considering acquiring Kirk Cousins if Rodgers doesn't join the franchise. As it stands, Mason Rudolph would likely be in line to start for the team.

Bradshaw also looked back at how Pittsburgh managed the development of former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, whom he says he was a fan of.

The Steelers drafted Pickett with the 20th overall selection in 2022. They traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 after he failed to pan out as the team's starter across his first two NFL seasons. Pickett was again traded to the Cleveland Browns in March.

"I liked Kenny Pickett," Bradshaw said. "I liked him at Pitt. I know him, I know what he's like. And when they got him to Pittsburgh ... they didn't protect him, they didn't get him an offensive line."

He added, "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. And therefore, they say, 'Pickett was a failure.' He wasn't a failure, the Steelers were a failure."

Bradshaw won four Super Bowls as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback in the 1970s and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.