Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy’s reunion in Pittsburgh got uncomfortable fast on Thursday night.
The two have been linked for years, dating back to their Super Bowl run together in Green Bay more than a decade ago. McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 seasons with the Packers, including the team’s Super Bowl XLV title, and that shared history helped bring them back together this year. McCarthy is now the Steelers’ head coach, while Rodgers decided to keep playing and return for his age-42 season.
But during Pittsburgh’s Week 4 trip to Cleveland, the old chemistry briefly gave way to old friction.
With both teams entering the night at 2-1, the Steelers were trying to avoid becoming the latest team to run into Cleveland’s seven-game Thursday night winning streak. Early in the first quarter, Rodgers grew visibly irritated as the offense stalled on the sideline. He turned toward McCarthy and barked, “What the F**K, CALL IT,” pressing for a play call before the clock expired.
McCarthy’s response was caught on camera as the broadcast panned his way: he called Rodgers a “F**king Asshole.”
That kind of edge wasn’t new between them. Their relationship has long been described as uneasy at times, even during their years of success in Green Bay. The pair still won plenty together, but reports over the years made clear there was real tension behind the scenes.
Thursday’s moment put that right back in the spotlight, and the setting only made it louder. The game aired nationally on Amazon Prime as part of Thursday Night Football, and it came in an AFC North matchup with plenty of attention already on it.
Pittsburgh has also had a rough time on Thursdays against division opponents on the road, entering the night winless in nine such tries under that setup. McCarthy, for his part, has a strong Thursday record overall at 11-5.
Neither Rodgers nor McCarthy has publicly addressed the exchange since it happened. Earlier reports this season had already stirred speculation about the Steelers’ quarterback situation behind Rodgers, and this sideline flare-up is unlikely to calm that chatter.
They’ve been through tension before and still ended up with a championship. Whether that same story can repeat itself in Pittsburgh is still an open question.
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