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It doesn’t. The Chicago Bears are in no way impacted by whatever Aaron Rodgers decides to do because regardless of what he does, their immediate, short-term, and long-term objectives don’t change.
Obviously, if Aaron Rodgers leaves, the race for the division crown becomes wide open. However, the Packers, like some fans want to believe, will not fall to the basement cellar without Rodgers. I acknowledge the arguments about the cap space, and they have merit – the Packers would certainly not be title contenders, or even division favorites necessarily without Rodgers. Yet, they would still be a team very in the mix for a playoff spot and yes, the NFC North as well.
Why? If only because these last two seasons, Rodgers himself was chief among the reasons they didn’t win a Superbowl. Prior to Gutekunst and Lafleur, Rodgers masked many of the Packers’ issues with his play, but what about since 2019? Since 2020, Rodgers holds a majority of the blame as to why the Packers couldn’t even reach one Superbowl in these past two MVP-level seasons – not the roster.
The Packers are a good football team, that doesn’t change with or without Rodgers, and the Chicago Bears will have to get by them if they want to truly compete.
Take a look at the Bills and the Patriots, for example. The Buffalo Bills were in an elite class of NFL teams in 2021, but the Patriots were still able to split with them with a rookie quarterback under center.
Unfortunately for everyone else in the NFC North, the Packers are well run. They draft well, and most of their signings, while unheralded, do pay off. This is why Rodgers’ decision should mean absolutely nothing to Bears fans and especially nothing to Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.
Even with Rodgers gone, the Chicago Bears still have to get past their rivals up north.
This is where the focus of Bears fans has to be – not on Aaron Rodgers, or the Packers cap situation – but on what their own team is doing to be competitive for a long time. The Bears have a quarterback, they have young pieces on defense, they have a solid young wide receiver. There’s a lot to be optimistic about if you’re a Bears fan, and the possibility of Aaron Rodgers being gone should rank last on this list.
It appears likely that Rodgers will make his decision sooner rather than later, and there will be some clarity on what happens (as Diana Russini reported). However, I for one, am more focused on who Poles and Eberflus will meet with at the combine, who they’ll target in free agency, and how they’ll get the locker room to buy into the culture they want to set.
