For the first time in his NFL career, Aaron Rodgers will not be a member of the Green Bay Packers.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback was traded on Monday to the New York Jets for four draft picks, including the No. 13 selection this year.
The Chicago Bears, the Packers’ longtime rivals in the NFC North, must be happy to see Rodgers depart for the Tri-state area, as their official Twitter account showed an image of a bear that seemed to be waiving goodbye.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 24, 2023
Bears fans seem equally happy.
Bears social media person FTW
— Doug Russell (@DougRussell) April 24, 2023
— j a k e (@Ryyzoh) April 24, 2023
— Andrew Radic (@andrew_radic) April 24, 2023
So now do we take the north?
— ChicagoInsight (@DaBears9090) April 24, 2023
Fields now is the best QB in NFC North
— Seahawks Brasil (@SeahawksBrasil) April 24, 2023
Rodgers has seemed to save his best football over the years for the Packers’ matchups against the Bears, and he holds a 24-5 lifetime record against them.
In those 29 games, he has put up 6,965 passing yards, 64 touchdowns, a 67.29 percent completion rate and a 109.0 passer rating.
Although Rodgers’ production declined last season amidst a dismal 8-9 finish for Green Bay, he still shined brightly against Chicago in a 27-10 Week 2 win in which he threw two touchdown passes and completed 76.0 percent of his pass attempts.
While the Packers are moving forward into a very uncertain future, the Bears have some tangible reason for hope.
They traded the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft to the Carolina Panthers for multiple picks, including the No. 9 selection this year, and star wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Chicago also brought in running back D’Onta Foreman, who put up 914 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season, with most of his production coming after Christian McCaffrey was traded following Week 6.
Everyone will be watching to see if these new additions will help quarterback Justin Fields develop into a reliable, if not a good passer.
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