Terry Bradshaw met Kenny Pickett over the weekend, and based off of Bradshaw's recent social media post, the Hall of Fame quarterback is quite taken with the Steelers' new quarterback.
Bradshaw shared a photo of himself embracing Pickett, who like Bradshaw is a former first-round pick who was drafted by the Steelers. A Hall of Fame quarterback who helped lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, Bradshaw is hoping Pickett can have similar success with his former team.
"Got to love this guy!!" Bradshaw wrote on his Facebook page. "Kenny Pickett, here's to your great future with the Steelers."
Bradshaw being a fan of Pickett shouldn't come as too big of a surprise, as there are several similarities between the two quarterbacks. On the field, Pickett plays with a similar mentality as Bradshaw. Pickett plays with a confidence that helped him orchestrate several game-winning drives near the end of his rookie season with the Steelers. Also like Bradshaw, Pickett isn't afraid to offer honest, transparent thoughts and opinions when speaking to the media.
Both quarterbacks also overcame pretty public doubters. Bradshaw overcame his critics by winning championships and league and Super Bowl MVPs. Pickett, whose hand size was one of the main talking points during last year's NFL Combine, solidified the Steelers' faith in him with his play during the second half of the 2022 season. After a slow start, Pickett rallied to finish with a 7-5 record as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback. Along with his penchant for game-winning drives, Pickett also displayed the ability to take care of the ball without compromising too much of his game.
Bradshaw is the latest former Steelers quarterback to sing Pickett's praises. Ben Roethlisberger, who helped lead the Steelers to the franchise's two most recent Super Bowl wins, said he underestimated Pickett prior to Pittsburgh selecting him with the No. 20 overall pick in last year's draft.
"I'm a big man. I can say this," Roethlisberger said on his podcast, via The Athletic. "I wasn't sure what to expect from Kenny. I know he played great at Pitt and did a lot of great things, but coming in, I wasn't sure what to think.
"I severely, in my opinion, underestimated Kenny. I think he throws the ball better than I thought. He runs way better than I thought. I don't know if he's faster or just more elusive, but he runs the ball way better than I expected and thought. His decision-making is really good. His leadership, his toughness, just enough of an edge to him, it looks like. I apologize, not that I made this vocal to anyone, but in my head what I want to say is, 'Kenny, keep doing what you're doing. Because you are leading this team and becoming the guy everyone was hoping you would be.' I think the sky's the limit for him."
