If you had told Steve Young while he was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he’d be in the Hall of Fame, he likely wouldn’t have believed you.

Dan Patrick asked Young that very question on Friday when Young appeared on the “Dan Patrick Show.”

“We had good players. We didn’t win, but I always said we weren’t losers,” Young said. “These guys that I played with were not losers. We just didn’t have the super structure to go get it done.”

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Young thinks his response would have been “how?”

Despite all of the losses, Young received reassurance from his offensive coordinator, Jimmy Raye.

“I think that I had a coach Jimmy Raye who turned to me a couple times and said ‘look you’re going to be good, so just hang in there. We’ve got to get some help but you’re going to be good.’

“And I think I took that as a flare or a signal that like things were going to be OK. But Hall of Fame? Who says when their first year they’re losing, ‘I’m a Hall of Famer. This is going to be great. I’m killing it man. It’s going so good. I can’t wait to lose another 12 games’?” Young said.

Here are two other takeaways from Young’s appearance on the show.

Steve Young on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones

Young was interviewed for and appeared in the new Netflix docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and his Cowboys,” which was released Tuesday.

“It’s weird that the Cowboys have struggled for so long. Yet, they’re still America’s team, and Jerry’s done a great job about that. He’s created this image,” he told Patrick.

Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones arrives at the premiere of “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. | Richard Shotwell, Invision via the Associated Press

On Friday, Young said that Jerry Jones’ heavy involvement in the team is part of the problem.

Jones “has not empowered anybody else to go in the locker room and threatened to fire anyone.” That’s something Young said a coach needs to be able to do to truly coach with authority.

“That’s a big piece and any coach would tell you that. That’s a big piece of being able to get a great team together,” he said.

Young thinks because of the “weird dynamic” of being “America’s team,” Cowboys players think they’re automatically special when they join the team, but they need to earn it.

He said that Cowboys players should have to earn the star on their helmet with a 10-win season and making the playoffs or NFC championship.

“I’ve always said that the Cowboys should start with no stars on their helmet and then when they get to 10 wins, put a star on and then when you get to the playoffs or you get in the championship, you get another star,” he said.

Steve Young on Aaron Rodgers

Patrick also asked Young about Aaron Rodgers and when he might start showing his age. The 40-year-old Rodgers joined the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. | Matt Freed, Associated Press

Young said thinks Rodgers showed it after coming off of his Achilles injury last season with the New York Jets.

“He’s always been able to threaten the line of scrimmage and I think that’s part of his game. As he ages, you’re not going to threaten the line of scrimmage nearly as much with your legs, but I think he’s back to a place where he can now have confidence that his body is healed and well, and so I think he’s going to look late 30s right. I don’t think he’s going to look that old,” he said.

“There’s so many yards. There’s so many touchdowns out there for free for quarterbacks who threaten the line of scrimmage and especially in the big games. That’s where he’s going to have to decide, ‘Do I actually still do that?’” Young said.

He added, “You look at the Super Bowl and championship games, they’re all won by guys threatening the line of scrimmage and making those big plays and creating that space.”

Young believes Rodgers’ ability to do that will be the challenge for him this year, but he does think the Steelers quarterback will put together a good season.

“I think he’ll have a very good season. I think the Steelers will be classically Steelers. They’ll play great defense and win games and close ones. He’ll have a better season than he’s had and then it’ll get into January and see if they can make some noise,” he said.