Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw went viral when he recently said that he felt the club’s interest in Aaron Rodgers is “a joke.”
During a Wednesday appearance on CBS Sports HQ, former Steelers cornerback and two-time Super Bowl champion Bryant McFadden responded to Bradshaw’s take.
“I disagree with the Hall of Famer,” McFadden explained, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. “I disagree with the Steeler alum and here’s why. Aaron Rodgers, right now…he is a better quarterback option than Mason Rudolph. That’s the facts. I know Aaron Rodgers is at the end of his Hall of Fame career, but right now, he is a better QB option than Mason Rudolph.”
McFadden has been critical of Rodgers remaining an unsigned free agent through the organized team activities portion of Pittsburgh’s offseason program, so it’s somewhat noteworthy that the analyst feels the 41-year-old is a better option for the club than Rudolph. While Rudolph has spent the majority of his career as a backup, Rodgers will eventually be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
In total, Rudolph has gone 9–8–1 as a starter at the highest level since 2018. Most recently, he tossed nine touchdown passes and nine interceptions over five starts and eight appearances with the Tennessee Titans this past season.
That said, there’s no guarantee Rodgers will do any better if he’s able to give the Steelers 17 starts during the upcoming season. He suffered a torn Achilles in September 2023 and dealt with multiple lingering physical setbacks while with the New York Jets during the 2024 campaign. Per Pro Football Reference, he ended last season ranked 28th in the NFL with a 48.0 adjusted QBR. He was also tied for seventh in the league with 28 passing scores.
Multiple reports have indicated that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would feel “fine” about heading into the upcoming season with Rudolph as his QB1. However, McFadden noted that history shows Rudolph would likely be little more than a one-year Band-Aid at the position before the Steelers spent another offseason looking for an upgrade.
Bradshaw’s opinion won’t stop Tomlin and Co. from welcoming Rodgers with open arms if the enigmatic signal-caller puts pen to paper on a contract. That seemingly shows that people within the Steelers agree with McFadden’s assessment of what Rudolph is and isn’t this spring.
