After feud with Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers great Terry Bradshaw has first interaction with Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted four quarterbacks in the first round since they hired Chuck Noll in 1969. Terry Bradshaw and Mark Malone played for Noll, Ben Roethlisberger played for Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. Kenny Pickett is the latest first-round draft choice at quarterback, and he is paired with Tomlin. It is only his second season, but after a strong finish to his rookie campaign, it looks like the Steelers made the right choice last season.

Bradshaw, Roethlisberger and Pickett all played a significant number of games as rookies. Bradshaw had a nightmare rookie season that led to an up-and-down beginning to his career. Support for Bradshaw turned quickly into boos and acrimony that still haunts the Hall of Fame quarterback to this day. The former MVP and four-time Super Bowl champion famously stayed away from Pittsburgh for years and he still has a touchy relationship with the team.

Roethlisberger was the exact opposite of Bradshaw, and he burst on the scene as a rookie. He won his first 13 regular-season games and led the Steelers to a 15-1 record after relieving Tommy Maddox against the Baltimore Ravens when Maddox hurt his elbow. Roethlisberger’s first loss was in the AFC Championship Game to the New England Patriots. Fans embraced his talent and by the end of his rookie year, they were wildly optimistic about the future of the Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw both place surprisingly low on NFL QB list

In his second season, Roethlisberger overcame a hyper-extended knee and broken thumb to deliver "one for the thumb" 25 years after the Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. He was the golden boy in Pittsburgh and the comparisons started immediately to Bradshaw. The two legendary Pittsburgh signal-callers could have had a storybook relationship, but they did not. Bradshaw openly chastised him for off-the-field issues early in his career and then in 2021, summed up his relationship with the retiring legend on the "The Rich Eisen Show."

"I don’t know him, Rich,” Bradshaw confessed. “I don’t know him well at all. I mean, I don’t know him at all. I did text him a couple of times in the last year. Texted him once this year, congratulating him on his great career. That’s it. I mean, that’s pretty much it.”

Pittsburgh drafted Roethlisberger’s replacement last season by tapping the former Pitt Panthers signal-caller to carry forward the mantle. Pickett struggled initially to find his way on the field and those struggles may have been the catalyst for a connection with Bradshaw. Unlike Roethlisberger, Pickett needed support when his career got off to an uneven start. 

The Fox Sports mainstay was not shy about embracing Pickett and supporting him early on last season. He endorsed him as a starting quarterback before the season began, and when he was struggling as a rookie, he signaled his support had not wavered. 

“When Pittsburgh drafted him, I said it was a perfect match,” Bradshaw told Colin Cowherd last November. “Is he a super A-talent? No, but he's an upper-echelon-B. I think they have their guy. I think the Steelers have got their guy. As long as you can stand in that pocket and read coverages and not panic, and he does all of that.”

It could very well be that Bradshaw lent his support to Pickett because, unlike Roethlisberger who is a super-A talent, he needed it. Football success appeared to come easily to the future Hall of Fame quarterback and if anything, he drew criticism for not doing more in his career. Pickett’s early struggles struck a chord with Bradshaw and the two have forged more of a relationship in one season than his counterpart did in two decades. 

Bradshaw, who posts on Facebook almost exclusively, took to social media over the weekend to demonstrate just how much the pair have sought a bond. He posted a picture of the two quarterbacks embracing.