Matt LaFleur Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears Ben Johnson
Getty
Head Matt Lafleur of the Green Bay Packers
One of the best rivalries in the NFL, if not in all of professional sports, is without a doubt the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, as there is no love lost between these two storied franchises.
As if the rivalry between these legendary NFL franchises wasn’t bitter enough, it went to another level during the 2025 NFL season, with Ben Johnson becoming the Bears’ new head coach and already having a rocky relationship with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
After heated battles to finish the regular season, these two teams met in the NFL playoffs, with Chicago coming out on top and ending Green Bay’s 2025 campaign.
Ben Johnson on Matt LaFleur: ‘We Don’t Talk’
Ben Johnson Chicago Bears Green Bay Packers Matt LaFleur
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears
On Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk had a one-on-one interview with Johnson, and one of the topics of discussion was his dislike for the Packers and LaFleur.
“I mean, the Bears and the Packers, they should not like each other,” Johnson said of the bitter division rivalry. “I think it’s as simple as that. And I think that’s going to make this rivalry, this game, something that people are going to watch here going forward.”
Then Johnson was asked about his relationship with LaFleur and whether they’ve hashed things out after the season.
“No, we don’t talk,” Johnson said of LaFleur. “I’m good with it.”
Clearly, LaFleur and Johnson aren’t going to be friends while at the helm of these two iconic franchises, and that’ll make for some entertaining and heated divisional matchups next season and potentially for the foreseeable future.
Packers GM on Josh Jacobs’ Future in Green Bay
Josh Jacobs Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears
GettyJosh Jacobs #8 of the Green Bay Packers
As the NFL scouting combine gets underway in Indianapolis, general managers for teams in the league start to do the rounds with the media and answer questions about what the future holds for star players and contract situations.
One star player for the Packers who has been rumored to be a potential cap casualty is veteran running back Josh Jacobs.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about Jacobs’ immediate future with the team and shot down any notion he wouldn’t be coming out of the backfield for Green Bay during the 2026 NFL season, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Rob Demovsky
More from Gutekunst at the combine: He said RB Josh Jacobs will “absolutely” be back this coming season.
“He’s a very important cog in what we’re trying to do here.”
“Absolutely,” Gutekunst said about Jacobs returning next season. “He’s a very important cog in what we’re trying to do here.”
During the 2025 campaign, Jacobs racked up 1,211 yards from scrimmage while rushing for 13 touchdowns and catching a touchdown pass, which is only the second time in his NFL career that he’s done that.
Although Jacobs didn’t crack 1,000 yards rushing for just the third time in his career, he was lethal in the red zone and a constant touchdown threat, basically scoring every week last season.
It would be a wise decision to keep Jacobs, as he’s easily one of the best players on the field, along with star quarterback Jordan Love, wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson, and tight end Tucker Kraft.