More Rodgers Fallout, Draft Prices, Finding Peace, and Other Bears Bullets
This has been playing on repeat since yesterday:
Let the joyous news be spread, indeed!
- ESPN is handing out way-too-early grades of the Aaron Rodgers trade. And somehow, the Packers look to be making out like bandits:
- I’m going to assume that Aaron Rodgers is wearing No. 8 as a nod to Rex Grossman, a fellow one-time NFC champion quarterback.
- This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the Jets gave up too much to trade for Rodgers. This about it. New York did a first-round pick swap in Thursday’s NFL Draft and sent second- and sixth-round picks this weekend, plus a 2024 conditional pick that could be a first-rounder if Rodgers plays X amount of snaps. All that for a soon-to-be-40-year-old quarterback who was looking to be in his decline phase that Green Bay didn’t even want around anymore. OK, so it isn’t the kind of haul the Broncos got for Russell Wilson that some circles of Packers fans were assuming they’d get. But it’s still too much for what this version of Rodgers looks like.
- Rodgers’ departure (once officially official) leaves Jordan Love as Green Bay’s QB1. Upon seeing this news, I imagine Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, and Jaylon Johnson are licking their chops.
- Green Bay never drafted a first-round tight end or receiver during Rodgers’ run at quarterback. So part of me will laugh when the Packers make the spiteful pick on Thursday. But part of me will be annoyed if it is a prospect like Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I still maintain the Packers should draft a punter with their first-round pick. Someone’s gotta keep old friend Pat O’Donnell on his toes.
- Time is a flat circle:
- Colleen Kane’s Chicago Bears fan’s guide to finding peace and forgetting Rodgers is a thing of beauty. And if you can do it without ayahuasca, that’s a fun bonus! As for me, I’ll be playing Taylor Swift’s “I Forgot That You Existed” on loop once I tire of the video above from The Wizard of Oz. (Tribune)
- What’s wild is that this might not be the last we’ve seen of Rodgers. As CHGO’s Adam Hoge points out, the Bears and Jets will play each other in 2024 if (AND ONLY IF…) the two teams finish in the same place in the standings in their respective divisions. Frankly, I struggle to imagine the Jets finishing atop the AFC East in front of the Bills, Dolphins, and Patriots. But I guess anything is possible.
- I’m so glad this guy is gone:
- We will find peace!
- I found it fitting that a defensive back from Papa Bear Halas’ alma mater ended Rodgers’ reign of terror in Green Bay. Don’t you love it when things come full circle?
- Speaking of defensive backs, the Bears made a transaction yesterday, parting ways with cornerback Harrison Hand. Sigh. Harrison Hand is such a football-y name. It’s a shame he won’t be hanging around any longer.
- It’s been a tough time for quarterbacks taken between Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. First, it’s Zach Wilson losing his job to Rodgers. And now, Trey Lance appears to be on the chopping block in San Francisco. Although, it doesn’t appear that there’s an ultra-active market. But maybe that changes at some point this weekend. (BN NFL)
- We don’t discuss it often enough, but the 49ers should consider themselves lucky. They passed on Patrick Mahomes in 2017, only to watch Chicago take the most heat for missing out on that opportunity. Instead of drafting Mahomes, SF hitched its wagon to Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners even paid him a boatload of money. And yet, it was Mahomes beating the Niners in the Super Bowl — in part because Jimmy G missed an open Emmanuel Sanders on a throw Mahomes hits 100 times out of 100 (with a few of those coming via the no-look variety because he likes to show off occasionally). And while Lance was supposed to be their long-term answer, the Niners have yet to see it play out that way due to a confluence of circumstances. All of which could’ve been avoided had they just taken Mahomes (or even Justin Fields). Ah, well, nevertheless.
- Did you know you can attend the NFL Draft for free? Well, now ya do! NBC Sports Chicago has details if you’re the adventurous type who likes to go on last-minute road trips to Kansas City. And bring us back some BBQ if you get a chance.
- Kyle Hendricks has been one of my favorite pitchers for a while because of his ability to mystify hitters while throwing in the mid-to-low 80s. But now, he is touching 90 MPH. SERIOUSLY! (BN Cubs)
- This is art:
- It’s not the best one-handed catch I’ve seen in the last year, but it’s still darn good.
- Because you care, this is No. 1 for me:
- Nothing like a Blackhawks postseason flashback to make you miss the fun and excitement of playoff hockey:
- A painful reminder of where things stand with the Chicago Bulls:
