Aaron Rodgers expressed his desire to connect with Terry Bradshaw on “a deeper level” after the Pittsburgh Steelers icon criticized his former team’s interest in the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
In a radio interview last May, Bradshaw dismissed the Steelers’ pursuit of Rodgers as “a joke.”
“What are you going to do? Bring him in for just one year? Are you serious? That guy should stay in California. He should go somewhere and chew on bark and talk to the gods out there,” said Bradshaw, who is a Hall of Fame quarterback, during an interview with 103.7 The Buzz in Arkansas.
Rodgers addressed Bradshaw’s remarks during an interview with NFL Network on Saturday. He mentioned that he has known Bradshaw for many years because of his role as a broadcaster for Fox, which aired many of Rodgers’ games while he played for the Green Bay Packers over 18 seasons.
“Terry’s a legend. He’s truly a legend. He won four Super Bowls and has had an amazing career in media,” Rodgers stated during the interview as part of NFL Network’s Back Together Weekend coverage. “But Terry, like many others, doesn’t really know me. He has his own ideas about me based on my actions, the documentary, what I’ve said, my darkness retreat—whatever you want to call it.”
Now that he’s the starting quarterback for the Steelers, Rodgers expressed his desire to build a connection with Bradshaw.
“I’d really like to get to know Terry better,” Rodgers mentioned. “If he would give me a chance, I believe we could become good friends. I have a lot of respect for what the greats have accomplished because they paved the way for us to play this amazing game…”
He also joked, “… Maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever he means by that.”
Bradshaw wasn’t the only one linked to the Steelers who doubted bringing him into the team. In February, safety DeShon Elliott commented on an Instagram post where people talked about the Steelers being likely to sign Rodgers. He said, “Leave his ass at the retirement home.”
Elliott clarified his comments on Saturday.
“I’m a troll. He’s an All-Pro and a GOAT. One day, he’ll get a gold jacket. When he arrived here, we talked and connected; he’s a wonderful person and an amazing football player. What the media has said about him is nonsense. I hold a lot of respect for him,” Elliott mentioned. “I let him know how much I respect him and apologized for the things I said before. Truly, he’s a good man with a big heart, and I really appreciate him—plus, he’s hilarious.”
Rodgers, 41, shared last month on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” this would be his last season in the NFL. The four-time NFL MVP expressed that this year with the Steelers is all about “ending with lots of love, fun, and peace for the career I’ve had.”
On Saturday, Rodgers told NFL Network that he “wanted to find closure and give back to the game one more time as it has given so much to me.”
