Aaron Rodgers has spent 22 NFL seasons collecting moments, opponents and plenty of material for his own trash talk file. On Sunday, that experience came through in a sharp line aimed at Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter.
During the first half at Raymond James Stadium, Trotter got in Rodgers’ face after a pass rush. Rodgers didn’t back down. He smiled and answered with a jab that landed cleanly: “I know your dad and he was better,” Rodgers told Trotter, in a clip shared by Pardon My Take.
It wasn’t just a verbal win for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Rodgers also had the final say on the field as Pittsburgh erased a 16-3 fourth-quarter deficit, forced overtime and beat the Bucs 26-19. Rodgers found Germie Bernard for the game-winning touchdown in overtime to seal it.
Rodgers finished 33-of-49 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The result pushed the Steelers to 4-2, while Tampa Bay dropped to 1-5.
Afterward, Rodgers added another shot at the setting itself, calling the grass at Raymond James Stadium “one of the worst surfaces in the league.”
Trotter’s family name clearly didn’t intimidate Rodgers. Josiah Trotter is the son of Jeremiah Trotter, a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker who played in the NFL from 1998 to 2009, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles. Jeremiah Trotter was also a first-team All-Pro in 2000 and spent the 2007 season with the Buccaneers.
Rodgers entered the league in 2005, which meant he overlapped with the elder Trotter for several seasons.
Josiah Trotter was a second-round pick by the Bucs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taken 46th overall out of Missouri. His older brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., is a linebacker for the Eagles.
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