The Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason has come to a bit of a lull ahead of the team reporting to training camp in Latrobe, PA next week. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers getting ready to pair back up with his former head coach Mike McCarthy in the Steel City however, several questions still loom around the organization and what they can accomplish in the 2026 NFL season. It all starts with the QB and how well he can lead this roster in the upcoming campaign. Rodgers, a four-time league MVP, has an entirely revamped wide receiver room for starters, and this storied franchise is used to seeing generational talents at the quarterback position lead the way.
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Legendary Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talks with former Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers before a home game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
You can't talk Steelers quarterbacks and not mention Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger. It has been debated in the past as to who is the better of the two legendary franchise quarterbacks, but on a recent episode of the Deebo and Joe podcast, former linebacker James Harrison gave his take on who he feels was better.
Both quarterbacks displayed greatness during their time with the Black and Gold. However, that greatness seen from them came in two different eras in the team's rich history.
“Like, if we talking, you know, numbers and when I look at this list -- if we're talking numbers, you got Bradshaw at eight,” Harrison explained. “Then Ben's numbers are far better than Bradshaw's as far as individual numbers.”
Harrison elevated Bradshaw over his former teammate from his NFL playing time in Pittsburgh. However, he added the caveat that this comes solely when talking in terms of championships won during their playing time, where Bradshaw does have the upper hand.
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Steelers great James Harrison runs out of the tunnel ahead of a Sunday Night Football game in 2025.
When it came down to his personal list of the greatest players of all-time for the franchise (and it was being based off individual numbers), Harrison favored Roethlisberger well ahead on the list.
Steelers' All-Time Quarterback Debate Is A Tricky One
One thing to note in the debate of the two quarterbacks is that Roethlisberger played four more NFL seasons when you compare him and Bradshaw. However, he threw for a total of 64,088 yards in his career compared to Bradshaw's total of 27,989. He also had a total of 418 touchdown passes in his career, which wins out in the individual numbers department again by a little more than 200. To go along with that, he also had six total Pro Bowl selections, as well as winning Rookie of the Year when he stepped in and led the team in his first year, going 13-0 in that rookie season.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers draft Ben Roethlisberger from Miami Ohio in the 2004 NFL Draft.
The older Bradshaw did do one thing that Roethlisberger did not, as he won the MVP Award in the 1978 season. He also brought the franchise a total of four Super Bowls, compared to Roethlisberger's total of two in his career. Harrison's comments could be taken as him being biased, given that he puts his former teammate over someone that he never played with. However, it can be argued that Bradshaw had more talent to work with, whereas Roethlisberger was able to do more with less.
The one thing that does hold true when discussing the two all-time great Steelers quarterbacks is that the organization was very fortunate to have both of them in their storied history. They both did a tremendous job at their position, as well as bringing a great amount of success to the organization. Now the franchise will look to get back to their winning ways in what is believed to be Rodgers' final year, where he has a chance to deliver a playoff victory or more for the first time in almost a decade.
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