Aaron Rodgers Doesn't Believe Sunday Was His Final Game vs. Bears

Aaron Rodgers has tormented the Bears throughout his career. After declaring his ownership over the franchise in the first game between the Packers and Bears this season, he took home a franchise record in Sunday's 45–30 win.
Battling through a toe injury, Rodgers completed 29 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. The final score came on a three-yard pass to Davante Adams, marking the 61st career passing touchdown for Rodgers against Chicago. That puts him one touchdown ahead of Brett Favre, giving him the Green Bay franchise record against their longtime rivals.
After an offseason of speculation about his future, Rodgers was asked if this could be his final game against Chicago as Green Bay's quarterback. While he wouldn't commit to anything at this point, he certainly wouldn't rule it out, though he didn't mention if he saw those future games coming as a member of his current team.
“I’m not really thinking about that right now,” Rodgers said in his postgame press conference. “I’m devoting all my energy and focus to this season. I don’t think it’s my last against the Bears. I feel like one of the factors in continuing to play would be, you know, can I still play? Do I still have it? Can I still be effective and efficient and can make the plays I feel like I’m capable of making? And I think the answer is yes.”
Rodgers did confirm that the record that he set against the Bears means a lot to him, and he was aware of where things stood between him and Favre entering Sunday's game.
“Yeah, it does mean a lot to me. It really does," Rodgers said. “The majority of stats don't mean much, but this rivalry does mean a lot to me. I’m almost an adult in Green Bay. I’ve lived here for 17 years and started for 14. I know how much this rivalry means to our fans. And to be a part of it has been really special.
“Obviously, to follow Brett and know what, you know, how successful he was over his time and how many big games he played in against them, it’s a sweet rivalry. It’s one that is very special to me. And I knew I was, you know, three from tying, four from breaking, so I’m definitely gonna hang on to that ball. That ball is an important one.”
With Sunday's win, Rodgers moves to 23–5 all-time against the Bears, a dominant run in one of the most significant rivalries in football. The 2021 Packers are now 10–3, and currently occupy the top seed in the NFC, as well.
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Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a season as senior college football writer at Athlon Sports and previous three-year run at SI as a writer and editor for the Breaking and Trending News team. When he’s not watching a game, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater. Dan has a bachelor’s degree in writing and rhetoric from Syracuse.