The Chicago Bears have been the little brother to the Packers in the NFC North rivalry for years despite being the slightly more historic franchise. It has been a tough couple of decades as a Bears fan though. The team finds a way to suck you back in just enough to disappoint you a year or two later. The up and down, rollercoaster-type of emotions linked to this team can be exhausting. However, it also shows how dedicated the Bears fanbase truly is and can be.
One of the biggest issues this franchise has faced is the poor quarterback play dating back to Sid Luckman — who was not a prototypical quarterback. Now, we have seen the likes of Jim McMahon (sorry he was not as good as most want him to be), Jay Cutler and Mitch Trubisky. All of these guys had shown something to get excited about but never lived up to the level of talent we have seen other teams have at the quarterback position.
One team that has seen plenty of elite-type quarterback play would be the Bears’ biggest rival — the Green Bay Packers. While Chicago Bears fans have suffered through the mediocrity we have seen at the position over the last few years, the Packers have lived through the glory of having not one, but two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Brett Favre is already in the Hall of Fame and there is no way Aaron Rodgers is not inducted when his time comes.
All of that said, after an offseason in 2020 when Aaron Rodgers news and rumors floated around about his unhappiness, the new coaching staff and winning put all of those rumors to bed. Aaron Rodgers even finished the year as the NFL MVP. It appeared that all of the offseason nonsense was just that — nonsense. However, this offseason has not been any better for Green Bay and the reigning MVP.
Aaron Rodgers is a “holdout”, what could that mean for the Chicago Bears?
The Packers mandatory minicamp started yesterday and for the first time in Aaron Rodgers’ 16-year career, he did not show up. Rodgers has been officially declared a “holdout”. Now, I am sure many Packers fans will tell you this is not anything to worry about. Honestly, history has somewhat proven them right. Although, are we witnessing new history being made?
It does not appear that this is a money issue either. Aaron Rodgers is about to lose over $600,000 should he sit out the rest of this minicamp. That will jump up even more if he chooses not to participate in training camp later this year. This is also the first time Rodgers skipped the voluntary camps too.
Although last season worked out for the Packers, things are not looking good for them this year. I strongly doubt that Aaron Rodgers will suffer from missing any of these camps — in fact, I can guarantee he will be just fine should he return for the regular season. However, it does hurt some of the younger players. Maybe this will help Jordan Love develop faster (also doubtful)? What will really hurt though is if Rodgers truly holds out this season.
The thing is, that could be great for the Chicago Bears. I know, I’d rather they beat up on a Packers team led by one of the best quarterbacks ever too, but at the same time, I secretly hope this team starts down a path of quarterback Hell just as we have seen in Chicago for years. Could the Justin Fields addition and the Aaron Rodgers debacle be the start of a changing of the guard so-to-speak?