Pittsburgh Steelers undrafted rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. had two interceptions off future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh’s 37-15 win over the New York Jets last Sunday night, but he couldn’t get Rodgers to sign the balls before he left the field. During Rodgers’ weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee asked Rodgers if he would sign the interception balls, and Rodgers agreed. Bishop thanked McAfee for asking Rodgers during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show.
“It’s pretty great, obviously, he could’ve been like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to do it.’ But shoutout to my guy Pat, West [Virginia] alum, asking him on the show for me and making sure that it gets done.”
After a tough loss, Rodgers wasn’t going to linger on the field postgame, but obviously for Bishop, it would be cool to get his first two interception balls autographed by the guy he picked off, who happens to be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Bishop talked about it postgame, and McAfee obviously took notice, and made sure to see if Rodgers would do it during their Tuesday segment.
It’s a cool gesture by Rodgers to agree to do so, and it’s great that McAfee made sure to ask and make it known that Bishop wanted the balls signed. It’s rare for a rookie to have two interceptions in the game, much less an undrafted free agent, and Bishop fought through some adversity after struggling in Week 5 to have a breakout performance against Rodgers and the Jets.
It’s something that probably means a lot to him to have that moment commemorated, and it’s going to happen largely because of McAfee posing the question and seeing if something could happen due to his relationship with Rodgers. The West Virginia connection, with Bishop and McAfee both being alums, surely doesn’t hurt. Still, McAfee was under obligation to ask or see if Rodgers would do that, especially with Rodgers coming off a bad loss and obviously having thrown the two interceptions. However, the second one wasn’t really his fault.
Who knows how or when Bishop will be able to get the interception balls signed by Rodgers, but it sounds like it’s going to happen. That’s going to be a really cool moment for the rookie, who still has a lot of good football left to play for the Steelers.
