Mike McCarthy wishes he didn’t get caught calling Aaron Rodgers a ‘f*cking a**hole’

What happens on the field between Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers stays on the field, except when it gets picked up by the broadcast and shared with the world.

That’s what happened Thursday night, when Rodgers and McCarthy were seen trading expletives during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Cleveland Browns. In the first quarter, the NFL on Prime broadcast showed a frustrated Rodgers standing outside the huddle and gesturing toward the Steelers sideline before a mic picked him up screaming, “What the f*ck?! Call it!”

Aaron Rodgers: “WHAT THE F*CK?! CALL IT!”

Mike McCarthy: “F*cking a**hole.”pic.twitter.com/KOSwfYBL2J

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 2, 2026

The Prime Video broadcast then panned to McCarthy on the Steelers sideline, who could be seen saying, “F*cking a**hole,” seemingly in reference to being reamed out by Rodgers. After the loss, McCarthy was asked about the heated exchange with Rodgers.

Mike McCarthy on his heated moment with Aaron Rodgers (📺: Prime) pic.twitter.com/wmVMPW9C55

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 2, 2026

“Communication sometimes is not the best choice of words, but everybody’s competing on the field,” McCarthy said. “And I think what’s said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field. That’s not the case today; I understand that. But yeah, any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn’t use those words.”

This is McCarthy’s 14th season coaching Rodgers. It’s highly unlikely that Thursday night was the first time McCarthy and Rodgers had a profane exchange on the field. But this may have been the first time it was aired on TV.

The exchange also came after Rodgers called McCarthy out for his offensive play calling during Pittsburgh’s loss to the New England Patriots. Rodgers hasn’t been an MVP-level quarterback for a half-decade now. Yet he repeatedly finds everyone and everything else to blame before realizing he might be part of the problem. Maybe McCarthy didn’t want to be caught calling his quarterback a “f*cking a**hole” during a game. But he said what a lot of people have been thinking.