Hall of Famer Rod Woodson Talks Steelers, Ravens, NFL Draft & More with Rich

Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson sat down with Rich on draft day in Pittsburgh and used the appearance to walk through a career that began with a holdout, a track season in Europe and a phone call he never expected from the Steelers. Woodson, who ran a 4.29 at the combine after driving in from Purdue and turning around the same week, told Rich he never spoke to Pittsburgh during the pre-draft process because the team did not believe he would still be on the board at No. 10.

The holdout that followed has become Steelers lore. Woodson described a dinner in Los Angeles with negotiator Jim Boston, who told the rookie corner that the Steelers had offered the most money they had ever put in front of a first-round pick. Woodson was unmoved. "Mr. Boston, with all due respect, you can tell them I never had money. I don't know what money feels like in my pocket. But tomorrow I will be in East France," Woodson recalled saying, before flying out the next morning to run track in Europe. He eventually signed in late October and played five games as a rookie.

The Berlin connection produced one of the more striking moments in the conversation. Woodson reminded Rich that he ran in the Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens raced in 1936, and Rich recalled the two of them calling an NFL Europe Berlin Thunder game off a monitor at NFL Films when Woodson realized he had run track on the same field.

On the modern Steelers, Woodson was direct about the rivalry that draws the loudest boos. He initially named the Browns, then corrected himself. "Yeah, the Ravens. They will boo them because every time they play it's always close," Woodson said, explaining that Pittsburgh and Baltimore hate each other because they are structurally identical. "They're very similar in the way they structure their ownership. The Rooney family doesn't really get involved in the day-to-day. Steve Bisciotti doesn't get involved in day-to-day. The only difference is one city here black and gold, the other city purple and black."

On Aaron Rodgers, Woodson believes the deal is already done in private. "I think it's already set in stone. He's just waiting," he told Rich, while warning that if the Steelers truly believe in Will Howard they should stop waiting and let the rookie take reps.

On the Ravens under new defensive head coach Jesse Minter, Woodson cautioned that leaning too heavily on 11 personnel could expose Lamar Jackson. "Lamar likes to make plays. That's the only thing that scares me with him being in 11 a whole bunch because he might start taking off a little bit too much and starting to get hit again," Woodson said, arguing the franchise should stay anchored to Derrick Henry and the run game.