Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers reached an all-time career record of 600 sacks last season. But the hit that made him the angriest didn’t come from an opposing defensive end. It came from his own offensive tackle, and the 42-year-old quarterback was far from thrilled.

It was Week 7, a Thursday night AFC North slugfest between the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. With 2:21 left in the fourth quarter, Rodgers rolled out of the pocket and delivered a 68-yard strike to tight end Pat Freiermuth, who raced to the end zone to give Pittsburgh a 31-30 lead. He then tackled Broderick Jones, who was with the Steelers last year, and could not contain his excitement.

“It was just so much. We had just had an opportunity to score to play before, I believe, or it was something that we messed up to play before. So, to come back right then and he rolled out the pocket…delivered a strike to Pat. Pat took it to the end zone, and it was late in the game. So, I’m just all excited and hyped, not knowing his legs are going to give out on him at any time. So, we had our little debate, but we’re all good now,” Jones said on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast on August 28.

As Freiermuth broke into the end zone, Rodgers began celebrating on the field, and Jones rushed over to join him. The 311-pound offensive tackle placed his hands on Rodgers’ shoulders to celebrate, but the sheer weight caught the 42-year-old quarterback off balance, accidentally flattening him to the turf.

“I think that’s the maddest I’ve ever seen him,” Jones admitted on the podcast. “But it’s all good.”

Rodgers was visibly furious after the hit. The veteran quarterback turned red and snapped at Jones in the heat of the moment. But it wasn’t hard to see why.

Pittsburgh was 4-1 heading into that Bengals clash, and with most of the season still ahead, the Steelers couldn’t afford to lose the quarterback carrying their playoff hopes, especially as the oldest active player in the league.

“I love everything you’re about, but also, I’m 41—You can’t be tackling me like that,” read the text message Rodgers later admitted sending to Jones. “The only tackle I had the other night was Broderick.”

At the end of the day, Rodgers’ anger stemmed from pure survival instinct. He knows he’s older and needs to stay intact for Pittsburgh to make a strong finish. However, how Jones acted wasn’t out of character.

The veteran quarterback even admitted that the tackle is “always the first one to come find me after a play,” habitually hyping him up and shaking him after big moments. The routine was the same. It’s just that the landing went horribly wrong.

However, Jones’ time in Pittsburgh has come to an end. Despite being drafted 14th overall by the Steelers in 2023, the tackle was traded to the Dallas Cowboys over the weekend. Pittsburgh packaged Jones alongside a 2027 fourth-round pick, acquiring a 2027 third- and sixth-round selection from Dallas in return.

The fresh start comes after a grueling recovery from a Week 11 neck injury that required spinal fusion surgery last season. And while he was recently cleared to return, he had reportedly been struggling to rediscover his peak form.