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The Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints go back a ways.
Not like the Bears and Packers, where a bitter rivalry defines any game between the two, but there are a few strings that tie the two franchises together.
From the starting quarterbacks to members of the coaching staff, the Bears will welcome a new-look Saints team to Soldier Field on Sunday with some interesting history between the two.
The backstory:
There are plenty of ties to the Saints on this Bears’ coaching staff. Former Saints head coach and current Broncos coach Sean Payton curated those strings.
Between the two teams, nine current Bears coaches have spent time in New Orleans at some point. In New Orleans, former Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and former Bears linebackers coach Brandon Staley are on staff.
The Bears have six who spent time in New Orleans during their career, including offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Allen was the Saints’ head coach last year before he was let go mid-season. Considering how his tenure ended in New Orleans after having spent 15 seasons there, Allen wanted to keep the focus on football.
"A lot of good experiences, a lot of good people, lot of wins," Allen said. "We were part of a lot of success there. So, I’ve got fond memories of it, but again, I think this week, let's focus on the football. This is going to be about the players on the field, Bears vs. the Saints. Those guys will really determine the outcome of the game."
Doyle is another coach who got his start in New Orleans under Payton as an offensive assistant. That opportunity is how he began a career that would lead him to Chicago.
It’s why New Orleans has a special place in his heart.
"I moved down there and I kind of grew up in the NFL in that way in my career," Doyle said. "My now-wife moved down there with me, and we spent four years there. That organization is top class."
Bears assistant coach Matt Giordano is another coach who holds New Orleans close to his heart.
He coached and played for the Saints. He’s seen the city from both aspects of an NFL career, and said it’s where he learned how to do things correctly.
"I always say it's a little bit like southern hospitality," Giordano said. "It's just like, they just say, ‘Oh, you’re a Saint? Come on in.’ You know, they're so gracious."
Dig deeper:
Entering the 2025 NFL season, there are five NFL starting quarterbacks who played at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley.
This includes Caleb Williams, Spencer Rattler, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts.
"It’s pretty cool, right?" Williams said.
Rattler and Williams face off against each other on Sunday. That will mark another chapter in the book between the two.
Rattler was the incumbent starting quarterback at Oklahoma entering the 2021 season as a five-star prospect from Arizona after throwing 28 touchdowns and 3,031 yards in the 2020 season. Williams, the five-star true freshman phenom, was behind Rattler.
Williams backed up Rattler for five games. On October 9, 2021, Rattler struggled in the first half of the Red River Rivalry vs. Texas. Riley benched Rattler for Williams, and Williams staged an electrifying comeback to beat the Longhorns.
Williams became the starter. Rattler was relegated to the backup job.
That benching prompted Rattler to transfer to South Carolina, where he started three seasons. Williams transferred to USC, following Riley to Southern California. Rattler reflected on that benching this week.
"The past is the past. We're focused on the present and the future, but I would say, yeah, that definitely led me to South Carolina," Rattler said on Wednesday of his benching, according to NFL.com. "It was a blessing in disguise that I got to play with the Gamecocks and develop there and get ready to the league after that."
Now, with both Rattler and Williams in the league, their history, albeit a bit of an awkward one, will take center stage at the NFL level.
"I know Spencer was with me," Williams said. "We don't really keep up that much, but excited for the matchup. I know he's excited and we're going to go out there and have a blast."
What's next:
The two teams have also played eight times since the 2008 season. The Saints have won all eight of those games. The Bears last beat the Saints on Thursday night, where Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Robbie Gould sent the game to overtime with a 26-yard field goal and won it with a 35-yard kick.
Sunday will be a chance to snap a losing streak for the Bears against a team they haven’t been successful against, point-blank.
The Bears are 15-19 all-time against New Orleans, including an 8-10 record at home.
Factoring in the different storylines, the Bears have every reason to take it personally.
"It's another game and that's where our focus is this week," Allen said, "I think we’ve got a good opponent. I think this is a team that as you watch the tape, they continue to get better."
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