NFC North: The Bears Greet Aaron Rodgers as He Departs from Green Bay

The Chicago Bears have endured years of Aaron Rodgers’ wrath. If you listen to Rodgers, he owns them. And the statistics, well, they support him. As a result, the Bears had a statement ready when it was revealed on Monday that Rodgers would be dealt to the New York Jets.

It isn’t easy to point fingers at them for being happy to see Rodgers depart. While the deal represents a sea change for the Packers and Jets, it also heralds the beginning of a new era in the NFC North without Aaron Rodgers commanding the Bears or the division.

Since Rodgers took over as the primary quarterback for the Packers in 2008, the team has captured the NFC North in eight of the previous 15 seasons. They earned a spot in the wild-card round in three of the seven seasons they failed to win the division. They were the only NFC North team during that time to have advanced to, let alone claimed a championship, in the Super Bowl.

The NFL’s most despised and enduring rival for Green Bay, Chicago, bore the brunt of Rodgers’ talent more than any other team in the division. Rodgers has defeated all his former NFC North rivals in his career. He has a 17-11-1 record against the Minnesota Vikings. He has an 18-8 history against the Detroit Lions.

Against the Bears, Rodgers has a record of 24-5. He has made 67.3 percent of his throws in their 29 encounters, throwing 64 touchdown passes and only ten interceptions. He outperformed his career average of 103.6 by more than 5 points with a passer rating of 109 versus Chicago.

During Rodgers’ tenure, Chicago had four winning seasons but only took the division crown twice. Rodgers has since left. Green Bay is about to enter the Jordan Love era. Chicago is still experiencing the early Justin Fields period. The Bears could not be more pleased.

Consider the Jets. They share my enthusiasm about the transfer. Ask his upcoming coworkers, Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall.

In the 2019 season, neither the Packers nor the Bears will have an opportunity to compete with Rodgers unless it’s in a Super Bowl game. The Bears won’t likely have any issues.

As they had finally awoken from their nightmare, Bears supporters couldn’t help but participate in the celebration.

About Author