Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw made headlines Tuesday, ripping Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, calling it a joke the Steelers have waited on Rodgers, and added that the four-time NFL MVP should go “chew” on bark somewhere.
Those comments certainly riled up the NFL landscape, with many agreeing with Bradshaw.
Not everyone, though.
ESPN’s Chris Russo, during an appearance on First Take Wednesday morning, stated that Rodgers can still play and is going to be an upgrade for the Steelers at the quarterback position, should he sign with them.
Russo also pushed back on Bradshaw’s comments that the Steelers failed Kenny Pickett, citing that it’s a bunch of nonsense for him to be criticizing the team about a QB who was just traded in back-to-back offseasons and is on his third team.
“I love Terry, and he can say anything he wants. He won four Super Bowls. For me, he is one of the great players of all time at that position, so he has earned the right to say what he wants. But he is lost. I mean, what does he want? Mason Rudolph to be the starting quarterback? They don’t have a quarterback, and they have a [win-]now team,” Russo said regarding Bradshaw’s comments about Rodgers, according to video via ESPN. “They just spent a fortune on [DK] Metcalf. T.J. Watt’s not getting any younger. [Mike] Tomlin’s been there a long time. The fan base is hungry for some playoff wins.
“He’s [Aaron Rodgers] better than Mason Rudolph, the case is closed. He’s better than Mason Rudolph. He improves them at that game’s most important position by a significant margin. And so does [Kirk] Cousins, by the way, if that’s the decision they go, if they want to go with.”
While the frustration with Rodgers and how long this has dragged out as the Steelers await a decision is quite understandable, there is no denying that the four-time NFL MVP — even at 41 years old — is a better option at quarterback for the Steelers in 2025 than Rudolph.
Rodgers played well down the stretch last season for the Jets. Rodgers threw for 1,270 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in the final five games of the season, including a passer rating of 98.3. That stretch also included a 339-yard performance against the Miami Dolphins in which Rodgers turned back the clock.
He also had four touchdowns in the regular-season finale against the Dolphins and looked like a quarterback who still has plenty of juice left in his right arm.
That is what the Steelers are betting on as they continue to wait for a decision from him. Hopefully that comes soon, and he gets into offseason workouts with the Steelers, building chemistry and rapport with offensive weapons as the Steelers are very much a win-now team considering the age and experience of their core.
As for Bradshaw’s comments about Pickett, they were rather strange from Bradshaw, especially considering Pickett requested the trade and didn’t want to compete with Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback job last offseason. So, the Steelers obliged him and moved him to Philadelphia.
Of course, Pickett won a Super Bowl with the Eagles as a backup, getting snaps in the big game as the Eagles blew out the Kansas City Chiefs, but shortly after that, Pickett was shipped to the Cleveland Browns.
Russo was having none of Bradshaw’s comments regarding Pickett and the Steelers’ failure.
“And then Terry brings up the fact where they didn’t handle Pickett right, he could be the answer. Well, hold on now, Terry. Pickett went to Philly, was only a backup, and then Philly just traded him to Cleveland. And Cleveland thought so much of Pickett, they drafted two quarterbacks in the draft to challenge Pickett as the quarterback there,” Russo said. “So the idea that somehow that this is Johnny Unitas, he was once a Steeler before he went to the Cols, that Pickett’s on that level, is a bunch of nonsense.”
That comment from Bradshaw was a bunch of nonsense regarding Pickett and the Steelers failing him. It’s true the Steelers made some mistakes, but Pickett also didn’t want to hear about any sort of QB competition.
Now, he finds himself in a significant one in Cleveland with three other quarterbacks around him in a franchise that is anything but stable and consistent.
