Aaron Rodgers Explains Why He Doesn't Want to Be the ‘Villain’ Against Bears Anymore

Rodgers is letting “bygones be bygones” when he faces his former rival with the Steelers on Sunday.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is letting his previous feelings about the Bears go. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

During Aaron Rodgers’s 18 seasons with the Packers, he helped Green Bay dominate the Bears in the intense NFC North rivalry. At one point, the quarterback went viral for telling the Chicago team that he “owns” them.

Well, Rodgers will travel to Chicago once again on Sunday, this time with his new team, the Steelers. That rivalry tension no longer is there for Rodgers as the Steelers don’t have a storied history with the Bears. But are any of those previous hard feelings still bubbling up for Rodgers? Apparently not, as he told reporters Wednesday that he’d “rather not be” considered the villain in Chicago anymore.

“I mean, I’m not in Green Bay anymore. I feel like we can let bygones be bygones. Maybe I can, I guess.”

Even though Rodgers may not have bad blood for the Bears and their fans anymore, that doesn’t mean the fans feel the same. Rodgers fully expects to be booed on Sunday in Chicago.

“It’s a great rivalry. In the history of all sports, you talk about the Lakers and the Celtics, and the Red Sox and the Yankees, you’ve got to talk about the Packers and the Bears. There’s been some great memories there. When I first got to Green Bay, the Bears had the all-time series lead. When I left, the Packers did. Since J-Love [Jordan Love] has taken over, it’s even gotten better. I hope those fans can put that behind them. I’m sure they can. I don’t expect them to.”

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Rodgers’s nonchalance towards playing his former rival wasn’t a total shock as he’s kept his emotions about playing certain teams inside this season. He didn’t consider playing the Packers a “revenge game,” for example.

There’s a possibility Rodgers won’t get to play on Sunday as he’s dealing with a fracture in his left wrist that kept him out of some of this past Sunday’s contest vs. the Bengals. Thursday’s practice will be a big determining factor for whether Rodgers will be able to start in Chicago, or if that honor will go to Mason Rudolph.

Rodgers did express on Wednesday that his availability on Sunday will be determined by “safety” not by pain tolerance. The quarterback admitted he needs to “feel like I can protect myself” before getting the O.K. to play on Sunday.

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