Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw has been vocal regarding his thoughts about his old team bringing in Aaron Rodgers for the 2025 NFL season. Over the weekend, Rodgers responded to some of the criticism in an interview with Kyle Brandt of NFL Network.
Aaron Rodgers Responds To Criticism From Steelers Legend
Bradshaw’s thoughts have been clear all along. The 76-year-old former quarterback was not a fan of the waiting game that Rodgers played with the Steelers for most of the offseason, a situation that didn’t get resolved until early June.
Terry Bradshaw on Aaron Rodgers #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/CWCOHwWo6r
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) May 28, 2025
While the team was slowly engaging in their negotiations, Bradshaw joined 103.7 The Buzz, an Arkansas radio station, for a conversation. He didn’t hold back in his criticisms, and had the following to say about the situation back on May 27th:
“That’s a joke. That to me is just a joke. What are you going to 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.”
Bradshaw’s comments were an obvious nod to the “exotic” lifestyle that Aaron Rodgers reportedly lives in the offseason. He would go on to praise Kenny Pickett, who the Steelers moved on from after just two seasons and a 14-10 record, and said that it was Pittsburgh that failed, not Pickett.
Rodgers finally got the chance to respond on Saturday when asked about Bradshaw’s comments.
Terry Bradshaw said Aaron Rodgers should:
“Stay in California, chew on bark, and whisper to the gods.”
Here is the new Steelers QB’s response pic.twitter.com/hUxYmH6Fle
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) July 26, 2025
“Terry’s a legend. An absolute legend,” Rodgers stated. “But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. So, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about.”
He would go on to say that he would like to get to know Bradshaw on a “deeper level”, and even joked that the two could “chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about” together.
Much Of Pittsburgh’s Hopes Hinge On Rodgers In 2025
Aaron Rodgers spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets after a storied career with the Green Bay Packers. There are certainly questions surrounding his immediate future, and just how much the 41-year-old quarterback still has left in the tank.
The Steelers made offseason moves that prove that they are in win-now mode, as Rodgers himself has said that 2025 should be the final season of his career.
After struggling through the first part of the 2024 campaign, Rodgers proved that he had some juice left in the tank while playing for the Jets. He finished the year with 3,897 passing yards, and threw 28 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions.
