Steelers Great Terry Bradshaw Will Continue To Wait For Deserving Honor From Rooney Family

As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue their preparation towards the start of the 2025 season, former Steelers quarterback and Hall Of Famer Terry Bradshaw wad involved in a report that stated his official jersey retirement may not be happening anytime soon. The information comes as a complete shock and disappointment to Steeler fans all around the world, as Bradshaw is an iconic player tied deeply to the city of Pittsburgh.

As it currently stands, the Steelers have only retired three jerseys throughout the team's history- Ernie Stautner, Joe Greene, and Franco Harris. Bradshaw, who many believe to have a real chance at having the fourth retired jersey in Steelers history, is a three time Pro Bowler who spent all 13 years of his career as a Steeler. Playing from 1970-1983, Bradshaw is considered to be one of the most iconic figures in Pittsburgh sports history and is widely considered to be one of the greatest Steelers ever. While fans continue to push the team towards retiring Bradshaw's jersey, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette weighed in on the situation.

"I don't think it's happening anytime soon." Dulac stated in regards to Bradshaw's jersey retirement.

The news may come as a surprise to many, as Bradshaw is getting older and many believed the former Steeler was more than worthy of having his jersey retired. Dulac added that he expects the Steelers to retire the Hall Of Famer's jersey at some point, just not anytime in the near future. Bradshaw, who is 76, has just recently announced his retirement from FOX NFL Sunday, stating health issues played a major role in his decision. He won't finalize it until 2029, however.

As the Steelers continue to opt towards not retiring Bradshaw's jersey, the team must be extremely careful that it doesn't make a similar mistake as to the one ot made in 2022 with Harris' jersey retirement. 

The Steelers waited a very long time to retire Harris' jersey number, and it was slightly too long as Harris tragically passed away just before his formal ceremony. Bradshaw, a four-time Super Bowl champion and the only player to win an MVP award in Steelers' history, is undoubtedly worthy of having his jersey retired by Pittsburgh.

Steelers Have Another Quarterback That Is Worthy Of A Jersey Retirement 

While Bradshaw continues to wait for his jersey to be officially retired by Pittsburgh, the Steelers find themselves with another future Hall Of Fame quarterback that deserves his jersey retired in Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, who spent his entire eighteen-year career with the Steelers, is a two-time Super Bowl champion who is widely regarded as one of the best Steelers ever next to Bradshaw. 

After being selected with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, Roethlisberger quickly emerged as one of the league's biggest rising stars, earning himself the honor of Offensive Rookie Of The Year. The Steelers' star quarterback would go on to earn six Pro Bowl nods, solidifying himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league for well over a decade. 

The eighteen-year veteran played a crucial role in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl runs in the 2006 and 2008 seasons as well, earning Pittsburgh its first Super Bowl victory in over 20 years in 2006. With Roethlisberger expected to enter the Hall Of Fame as a first-ballot candidate five years after the conclusion of his career (2027), Steelers fans are expecting to see both Bradshaw and Roethlisberger's jerseys retired in the near future.

After failing to provide Harris with an official retirement ceremony prior to his passing, it will be crucial for the Steelers as an organization to retire Bradshaw's jersey in the near future. As many fans likely remain disappointed with Dulac's update, optimism remains that the team will do the right thing in the end and give Bradshaw the proper ceremony he deserves.