CNN
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Despite months of speculation surrounding Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s clear franchise legend Terry Bradshaw wants his former team to stay as far away from the 41-year-old as possible.
After a difficult two seasons in New York with the Jets, the four-time NFL MVP has been courting offers and fueling speculation since that contract ended. On “The Pat McAfee Show” in April, Rodgers revealed he’s been taking his time making a final decision as he’s been handling “personal matters.”
“That’s a joke. That to me is just a joke. What are you going to – bring him in for one year? Are you kidding me? That guy needs to stay in California and go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there,” Bradshaw said on 103.7 The Buzz’s Morning Mayhem on Tuesday, appearing to reference Rodgers’ usage of ayahuasca and other alternative beliefs.
When the radio host stated that he wasn’t a fan of the former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets QB, Bradshaw said, “Nor am I,” and recalled meeting Rodgers for the first time. “You get in his presence, and you feel like it’s about to start snowing,” the four-time Super Bowl winner joked.
Bradshaw also used his appearance on the show to be critical of his former team’s treatment of 2022 first round draft pick Kenny Pickett, saying they didn’t do enough to provide the talent and protection to let a QB thrive.
“The Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett. I liked Kenny Pickett. I liked him at Pitt; I know him; I know what he’s like. And when they got him to Pittsburgh, here’s what they didn’t do: They didn’t protect him,” Bradshaw said.
“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.”
Mason Rudolph, who was drafted by the Steelers in 2018, spent six seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the Tennessee Titans for the 2024 season. However, he recently signed a two-year contract to return to the Black and Gold.
Rudolph is currently practicing as the starting QB, being the signal caller during OTA sessions, but it is assumed that he’ll be the backup once the season rolls around.
During the first OTA session of the spring, Rudolph was asked about how he’s dealing with the Rodgers speculation since re-signing with the Steelers: “That’s nothing new to me … There’s been constant noise. That is the nature of the NFL. So, I have been used to that for a long time now. I do nothing but be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring.”