Aaron Rodgers had to get a little defensive.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback finally shared his thoughts after the viral video of him looking upset after he was tackled by teammate Broderick Jones to celebrate Aaron’s touchdown pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Oct. 16.
"What you don't see in the video is right after the throw, he's coming over to me,” Aaron recalled to reporters in a video shared by the NFL Oct. 22. “He's shaking me and shaking me.”
According to the football star, he then texted the Steelers tackle, telling him, “Hey man, I love your energy. I love everything you're about. But also, I'm 41, okay? You can't be out there tackling me like that.”
However, Aaron—who previously played for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets—made it clear that there’s no bad blood between the two.
“I love Brod," he added. "We had a couple laughs about it, and you know I told him, 'I'm getting him next.' He better watch his back."
During the tackle in question, Broderick can be seen following Aaron as he celebrates the pass, throwing his arm around the quarterback and bringing the two down to the ground.
And despite Aaron’s less than stellar reaction, Broderick had no regrets.
“We’re still joking about it,” the 24-year-old told reporters in a video posted by the NFL Oct. 21. “Yeah he was a little mad, but sorry, it’s football, it gets intense.”
Broderick added, “But you know it’s still no love lost. It’s just the energy that he brings and I bring. He told me don’t lose the fire and I told him the same.”
As for whether or not he might engage in some light teammate tackling again?
“We shall see on Sunday after he throws another touchdown,” he joked. “I’m gonna tackle him again.”
Little did Aaron know that he would be subject to such aggressive celebrations when he signed a $13.65 million one-year contract with the Steelers, which he recently shared he was encouraged to do by his new wife—who has only been identified as a woman named Brittani—and her family.
“I was taking orders from my (new) sister-in-law, Mia,” Aaron, 41, told The Athletic in August. “She’s 20 and she’s the brains of the family; you just have to ask her.”
But as he explained, he was looking for a smaller contract, as opposed to what he had with the New York Jets, which earned him around $75 million between 2023 and 2024.
“Every team that I talked to, I said, ‘Listen, if I play, I’m not going to take a ton of money,’” Aaron continued. “I’ve made a ton of money. I don’t need the money.’”
For a deeper dive into athlete’s salaries, keep reading.
Cristiano Ronaldo
For many sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo's salary is goals. After all, the Portuguese soccer player regularly tops lists of highest-paid athletes.
In June 2025, Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. And while the exact value of the deal wasn't revealed, multiple outlets reported he received an annual salary of approximately $200 million when he first signed with the team in 2022 after leaving Manchester United in England.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi kicked off his time at Inter Miami CF with a big check. The annualized average guaranteed compensation for the Argentine player—who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the David Beckham-owned team in 2023 after having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona—is more than $20.4 million, with a current annualized base salary of $12 million, per the MLS Players Association's 2025 salary guide.
Alex Morgan
However, pay gaps still exist when comparing the salaries of male and female sports stars. Case in point? There were no women on Forbes' 2025 list of top 50 highest-paid athletes.
Alex Morgan—who retired from soccer in 2024 after playing her last game with the San Diego Wave—came in at No. 16 on the outlet's ranking of highest-paid female athletes last year. The publication estimated the World Cup champ earned $600,000 on-field and $7 million off-field (scoring some solid endorsement deals) in 2024.
And while there have been strides to bridge the pay gap (with U.S. Soccer becoming the first federation to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money for the country's women's and men's national teams), there is still a long way to go until it's a more equitable playing field.
Caitlin Clark
After being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever that, according to The Athletic, was worth $338,056 and resulted in her receiving a $76,535 salary her rookie year.
Many were shocked by the figures considering the base salary for NBA players is much higher.
Caitlin also has endorsement deals, including one with Nike that The Athletic reported was worth $28 million.
Stephen Curry
Topping ESPN's list of NBA players' salaries for the 2025 to 2026 season is Stephen Curry, with the outlet reporting he raked in $59.6 million. However, the Golden State Warriors weren't going to miss their shot at having the guard play longer.
In August 2024, Steph signed a $62.6 million extension that keeps him on the team through 2027, his agent confirmed to CNBC.
LeBron James
Also dunking all the way to the bank? LeBron James. According to ESPN's list, the Los Angeles Lakers forward made $52.6 million during the 2025 to 2026 season.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is also serving up major moves.
The tennis champ reigned at the top of Forbes' list of highest paid female athletes in 2024 with an estimated $34.4 million in total earnings that year ($9.4 million on-court and $25 million off).
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka appears to be acing her brand deals, too.
Forbes reported the Grand Slam title holder from Japan pulled in an estimated $12.9 million in 2024, and that $12 million of that sum came from income earned outside of her match winnings.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles got the gold in more way than one.
According to Forbes' list, the Olympic gymnast earned an estimated $11.2 million in 2024 (with $11 million of that total reportedly coming outside of her competition earnings).
Travis Kelce
If you're trying to fill the blank space on how much Travis Kelce makes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, here's the answer: The tight end signed a two-year deal in 2024 worth $34.25 million, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Patrick Mahomes
As for his teammate Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback scored a pretty penny when he signed a 10-year contract with the Chiefs in 2020 worth $450 million, according to his agency Equity Sports.
Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills weren't going to fumble the opportunity to keep Josh Allen on their team. In March 2025, the quarterback inked a six-year deal that, per Rapoport, is worth $330 million (with $250 million guaranteed).
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson touched down on a new team.
After previously playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in March 2025 worth $10.5 million, per NFL Network Insiders' Rapoport, Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. However, the trio reported Russell could receive up to $21 million on the deal through incentives.
Aaron Rodgers
Stepping in as the Steelers' quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who previously played for the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
And while the QB will be wearing No. 8, his paycheck reflects a much bigger number. The one-year contract he signed in June 2025 is worth $13.65 million with $10 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Rapoport and Pelissero. However, the Insiders noted Aaron could earn up to $19.5 million through incentives.