Steelers Great Terry Bradshaw Unleashes Brutal Truth About How Mike Tomlin Failed Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft with hopes he would be the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. After two seasons where he struggled to fully prove himself in Pittsburgh, Pickett requested a trade. The Steelers, looking for immediate stability at quarterback, chose to bring in veteran Russell Wilson ahead of the 2024 season, a move that deeply upset Pickett. Feeling betrayed by the organization’s decision, he insisted on being traded.

Pickett was subsequently sent to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he served as a backup quarterback and experienced the high of winning a Super Bowl. Though he wasn’t the starter, that championship added a notable accomplishment to his young career. In the 2025 offseason, Pickett was traded again, this time to the Cleveland Browns. There, he enters a crowded quarterback room, but holds a genuine chance to compete for the starting job and prove his worth on the field.

On Tuesday, iconic Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw unleashed a fiery rant on the Morning Mayhem show with Dan Hampton. Bradshaw didn’t hold back, saying the Steelers failed Pickett by not giving him a proper opportunity to grow and succeed in Pittsburgh. His criticism struck a chord with many fans who had hoped Pickett would become the franchise’s next star, but instead watched his potential slip away.

"I liked Kenny Pickett," Bradshaw said on Tuesday while speaking to Hampton. "I liked him at Pitt. I know him. I know what he's like. And when they got him to Pittsburgh, here's what they didn't do. They didn't protect him... They didn't get him an offensive line. They wanted to run the football, but they didn't have an offensive line. They couldn't protect, and they didn't have weapons. He had no wide receivers to speak of."

Bradshaw also claimed the Steelers didn’t have any wide receivers worth mentioning, a statement that simply isn’t accurate. At the time, Pittsburgh had Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, who was drafted alongside Pickett in 2022. While the wide receiver group wasn’t the strongest in the league, Pickett did have some legitimate weapons to work with. So, the criticism of the receiver room feels exaggerated and unfair.

That said, Bradshaw’s broader point carries some weight. The Steelers did not do Pickett many favors by keeping Matt Canada as offensive coordinator for such a long period. Canada’s offensive schemes and inconsistent play-calling arguably hindered Pickett’s development and limited his ability to show his full potential.

"And then you throw a kid in there for two years, and you got an offense that doesn't fit and doesn't work, and they can't run because their offensive line's not even good enough for a run-blocking team," Bradshaw said. "And therefore they say Pickett was a failure. He wasn't a failure. The Steelers were a failure."

In the eyes of Bradshaw, Mike Tomlin has to accept a significant share of the blame that he laid out. His leadership and decisions clearly came under fire in both rants, including Bradshaw’s harsh criticism of the Steelers’ pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, which he called a joke. 

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Gets Indirectly Blamed By Terry Bradshaw

Both of these strong opinions are pointed, if indirect, criticisms of Tomlin’s handling of the team’s direction. Bradshaw’s frustrations highlight a growing concern among fans and analysts that the organization’s decision-making has been flawed in recent years. It’s clear that, according to Bradshaw, Tomlin’s choices have played a major role in some of the franchise’s recent struggles and missed opportunities. How the Steelers respond moving forward will be crucial for their future success.

Tomlin has the fan base on edge, having not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. With the pressure mounting, all eyes will be on him in the 2025 season as he strives to end that frustrating drought and restore the Steelers’ winning tradition. The coming year could define his legacy in Pittsburgh.