Former NFL QB Alex Smith weighs in on the Aaron Rodgers situation
Alex Smith explains why Aaron Rodgers should return for at least one more year.
Sports Seriously
If Pittsburgh Steelers fans are frustrated with the current state of their team’s quarterback situation, they are not alone.
Former Steelers quarterback and Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw slammed his former team on 103.7 The Buzz’s “Morning Mayhem” show on Tuesday. Bradshaw criticized the team for mishandling the development of quarterback Kenny Pickett in previous years and lambasted their current pursuit of veteran Aaron Rodgers.
“I liked Kenny Pickett,” Bradshaw said of the Steelers’ 2022 first-round pick, whom the team traded after two seasons. “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.
“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.”
In 2024, after trading away Pickett, Pittsburgh relied on two veteran starters: former Bears first-rounder Justin Fields and Super Bowl 48 champion Russell Wilson. Both left for New York in free agency – Fields signed with the Jets; Wilson, with the Giants.
Pickett is now with his third team, the Cleveland Browns, after the Philadelphia Eagles traded him earlier this offseason. The former Pitt product holds a 15-10 career record as a starter with a career completion rate of 62.4%, 4,765 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.
Terry Bradshaw rips Steelers for Aaron Rodgers pursuit
Bradshaw’s criticism didn’t end at the team’s past fiascos. Bradshaw also tackled Pittsburgh’s current, months-long courtship of Rodgers, who is still a free agent, even as the Steelers began OTAs on Tuesday.
“That’s a joke. That to me is just a joke,” Bradshaw said. “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.”
Team owner Art Rooney II recently told reporters multiple times that he and the team will wait “a little while longer” on Rodgers to make a decision.
In the meantime, the Steelers have three other quarterbacks on their roster: Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, both of whom signed with the team this offseason, and Will Howard, Pittsburgh’s 2025 NFL Draft sixth-round pick.
Rudolph has the most starting experience between the three (18 games) and played five seasons with the Steelers prior to joining the Tennessee Titans last year. He re-signed with Pittsburgh on a two-year, $8 million deal in March.
In 2024, Rodgers had a completion rate of 63% with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. New York let Rodgers know the team planned to go in a different direction in February before releasing him in March.
Time will tell whether the Steelers (or Rodgers) will heed Bradshaw’s words or if they’re destined for another year of regular-season success before an early playoff exit. Pittsburgh has made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons but has not won a postseason game since 2016.
