The Friendship You Didn’t Know You Needed: John Mateer And Terry Bradshaw

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer may very well be playing on Sundays next year. So, which former NFL quarterback is he modeling his game after and turning to for advice? How about a longtime FOX NFL studio analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer? “I was at a Dallas card show, and I go in and somebody’s like, ‘Do you want to meet Terry Bradshaw?’” Mateer told FOX Sports’ Tom Rinaldi in an interview on “Big Noon Kickoff.” “I’m like, ‘Yeah, duh. Who wouldn’t?’” The two began talking, and an unexpected friendship soon began to develop. “I kind of started giving it to him and pushing his buttons a little bit,” Mateer recalled. “He gives it right back, and it’s on.” What has Mateer learned from Bradshaw? “Let it ride. You feel it. You throw the ball,” Mateer said. “Who am I to think I’d be able to talk to people like that? And now I text him, and we call, and he calls me.” After spending the first three years of his collegiate career at Washington State, Mateer transferred to Oklahoma and started 12 games for the Sooners last season. He totaled 2,885 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 129.4 passer rating, while completing 62.2% of his passes. Mateer also rushed for 431 yards and eight touchdowns. His 2025 campaign was stunted after suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand in Week 4, which forced Mateer to miss a start and play through the injury the remainder of the season. Still, the Sooners put together a 10-2 campaign and hosted Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff before ultimately losing to the Crimson Tide. Mateer doesn’t blame his injury for his play down the stretch. “Leading through whenever you’re not playing at your best is very difficult,” Mateer told Rinaldi. “It sucked. I broke my thumb. It was just a lot going on for me. “The biggest lesson is that with all that going on, you have to find a way for your mind to be in the right spot. I did not look back and say ‘I played poorly because of my thumb.’ It was because of my mind.” The Sooners’ standout signal-caller threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns while leading Oklahoma to a dominant 51-0 win over UTEP in Week 1. As Mateer looks back on the unlikely friendship that started with Bradshaw, he still can’t quite believe it happened. “What did I do to get this blessing?”