Terry Bradshaw Rips Aaron Rodgers and Calls Steelers a 'Joke' for Considering the Quarterback: 'Go Chew on Bark'
Rodgers, 41, has mulled retirement while remaining noncommittal to the Steelers
Bradshaw played 14 seasons with the team during the 1970s and 1980s
Terry Bradshaw had some strong words for his former team amid its ongoing courtship of free agent Aaron Rodgers.
The retired Hall of Fame quarterback, who played all 14 of his NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, called his former team's pursuit of Rodgers, 41, 'a joke.'
'That's a joke,' Bradshaw, 76, said during an interview with local KABZ in Little Rock, Ark. 'That is just, to me, is a joke. What are you gonna do? Bring him in for one year? Are you kidding me?'
Bradshaw, who was the Steelers' starting quarterback during the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, added: 'That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there.'
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Rodgers remains an unsigned free agent this week as teams around the league have started its first leg of training camps for next season. The Steelers, who opted not to resign quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are without a proven starting quarterback. Rodgers, who last played with the New York Jets in 2024, opted not to resign with his old team either.
The pairing has seemed destined, but heavily delayed as Rodgers has also publicly mulled over the possibility of retiring from the NFL after 20 seasons.
A once Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers' on-field performance has severely declined in recent years amid injury and off-the-field career moves. Rodgers recently appeared in a Netflix docuseries about his life and also contemplated becoming Robert F. Kennedy's running mate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Meanwhile, during his last two seasons with the Jets, Rodgers' use of hallucinogenic drug retreats and his absence from team workouts in the summertime have led to criticism as his results on the field waned.
David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
"I'm in a different phase of my life," Rodgers explained on The Pat McAfee Show last month. "I'm 41 years old, I'm in a serious relationship. I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention. I have personal commitments I made not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year, that are important to me."
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Rodgers argued that he isn't 'holding anybody hostage' with his indecision about playing next season, as the Steelers appear to be waiting to hear back. The Chico, Calif., native also said 'retirement still could be a possibility, but right now my focus has been and will continue to be on my personal life."
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John Lamparski/Getty Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Meanwhile, Bradshaw appeared to direct most of his frustration towards the Steelers' inability to grow a young quarterback since Ben Rothlisberger's 18-year run with the team.
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"I liked Kenny Pickett," Bradshaw told KABZ about the team's former quarterback. "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.'
Bradshaw continued: "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."
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