Long before Aaron Rodgers officially signed with the Steelers last month, there was plenty of speculation as to whether or not the four-time MVP wanted to continue to play football. This unconventional approach to the offseason prompted numerous former players to question Rodgers and his process.
Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw was very critical of the team and their attempts to sign Rodgers. On a radio interview for 103.7 The Buzz, Bradshaw gave his honest opinion on the then-potential singing.
“That to me is just a joke,” Bradshaw said. “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. Whisper to the gods out there.”
The comments from Bradshaw were harsh to put it nicely, and Rodgers got the chance to respond to Bradshaw’s comments in an interview with Kyle Brandt of NFL Network.
“I whisper to the gods every single day,” Rodgers told Brandt, “I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And 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. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship.
Rodgers even went on to thank Bradshaw and other all-time great quarterbacks for paving the way for guys like him to be so successful.
“For me, I have nothing but the utmost amount of respect and deference for what the greats have done because they laid the foundation for us to be able to play in this great game. To be paid like kings, and to carry on the tradition of excellence that guys like the Bradshaws of the world in the ’70s and Bart Starr in the ’60s and Lombardi and Joe Montana, and Steve Young, and Troy Aikman, and Brett Favre, and all the greats.” Rodgers said. “We’re standing on the backs of those guys. It’s because of how they played and how they carried themselves that we’re able to have this opportunity to still play this great game, to get paid really well, to set ourselves up for our future. So I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.”
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
Bradshaw made it clear how he feels about Rodgers, but Rodgers would very much like to get to know him. It is up to Bradshaw if the pair will get together and chew on any bark in the future.
