NFC North

The Chicago Bears are stocking up on picks for the 2023 draft.

After trading veteran defensive end Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles last week and star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, the Bears have accumulated an impressive amount of draft capital:

The Bears are also set to have incredible flexibility from a financial perspective next season, with a long-term deal for Smith now off the table. Per Spotrac, they are projected to have around $121.7 million in cap space. While their draft picks will eat into that figure, it still will allow them to be aggressive in free agency if they choose to go that route.

The Bears aren't going to see much of a change to their 2022 payroll bill, however:

It's clear the 3-5 Bears are embracing a full rebuild around young quarterback Justin Fields, with first-year head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles being given the draft equity to put their own stamp on the team.

That process began this offseason, when the Bears traded superstar edge-rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers. And it's continued in earnest ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Granted, accumulating draft assets is great in theory but can fall flat if you don't make the correct selections. Players like Smith don't grow on trees.

But it's clear Chicago isn't ready to contend, and committing big money to Smith wouldn't have fit the team's timeline. From that perspective, dealing him now rather than risking the possibility of losing him in free agency for nothing made sense.

The Bears certainly have the assets and financial flexibility to dramatically rebuild their roster this offseason.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers is apparently the worst person to shop for at Christmas.

The Athletic's Mike Sando spoke to an NFL talent evaluator who acknowledged the need for Green Bay to get help at wide receiver but argued it may not help the situation:

There is so much there (in Green Bay) that we don’t know when it comes to Aaron Rodgers and his wide receivers. It is almost like, ‘Why would we spend premium draft capital on someone the quarterback probably will not like?’ That is what it comes across as to me. Rodgers plays a part in it, too, like nobody is good enough. They can’t please him.

A case in point was how the 10-time Pro Bowler spoke about Amari Rodgers, a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft who caught four passes for 45 yards as a rookie, a month ago:

For years, people have cited Rodgers' lone Super Bowl appearance as evidence of how badly Green Bay has failed to capitalize on having a Hall of Fame quarterback for 15 seasons as a starter.

No front office is above criticism, and there's some truth to the notion former head coach Mike McCarthy was holding the franchise back at times.

When it comes to Rodgers' supporting cast, though, the Packers do occasionally get a bad rap. Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams were all drafted by the team, and everyone played a meaningful role in the aerial attack.

Green Bay's draft record has been far more mixed of late. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a fifth-rounder in 2018, might be the biggest success story, and he's no longer part of the team.

However, the talent evaluator laid out why selecting a wideout is easier said than done when you sense your quarterback has exacting standards.

As much as it's general manager Brian Gutekunst's job to identify the right talent, Rodgers has a role in helping to set his teammates up for success. And he isn't exactly doing that this year.

The Green Bay Packers lost four regular-season games all last year.

The Green Bay Packers have lost four games in a row this season.

Aaron Rodgers and Co. dropped another contest Sunday, this time to the Buffalo Bills. The three-time reigning NFC North champions are 3-5 on the campaign following the 27-17 defeat to the Bills.

Green Bay's offense entered Sunday's slate 24th in the league in points per game and managed just seven points in the first half. The game felt largely out of reach for the entire second half as a result, and social media was quick to jump on Green Bay's case as it struggled in all phases at times:

The first half for the visitors included a turnover on downs, multiple sacks of Rodgers as he faced constant pressure and two touchdown passes from Josh Allen.

The Packers found some success with Aaron Jones on the ground and an incredible touchdown catch from Romeo Doubs. Rodgers also found Samori Toure on a deep touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, although the game was largely out of reach.

Still, the bad far outweighed the good.

Linebacker Quay Walker was ejected for shoving someone on the Bills' sideline, a touchdown pass to Robert Tonyan was overturned for offensive pass interference, AJ Dillon limped off the field before he returned, De'Vondre Campbell was lost for the game because of an injury, Christian Watson suffered a concussion and Rodgers threw an interception in the fourth.

Perhaps the Packers can turn things around with a divisional contest against the Detroit Lions the next time out because they haven't looked like serious contenders to this point.

The Green Bay Packers will be short-handed for the rest of Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Linebacker Quay Walker was ejected for shoving someone on the Bills' sideline.

According to Bills reporter Maddy Glab, Walker shoved Zach Davidson, who is a tight end on Buffalo's practice squad.

An ejection is the last thing the struggling Packers needed.

They entered Sunday's contest with three straight losses, putting them at 3-4 and well behind the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North standings. They've looked nothing like serious Super Bowl contenders in what figured to be a championship-or-bust season after they lost in two of the last three NFC Championship Games.

Green Bay appeared to make Walker a franchise cornerstone when it selected him with a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

The Georgia product was coming off the best performance of his early career with 13 tackles and one pass defended in the most recent loss to the Washington Commanders. It was his first-time with double-digit tackles in a game this season after flashing some of his potential at times during the start of the year.

Walker played four seasons for the Bulldogs at the collegiate level and helped them win the national title in his final one.

He finished that campaign with 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three passes defended and one fumble recovery on a loaded defense.

Next up for the Packers is a divisional contest against the Detroit Lions where Walker will look to bounce back after having his game against the Bills cut short.

The Minnesota Vikings' 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday was especially meaningful for veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson, who spent the first 10 years of his career in Arizona before signing with Minnesota in 2021.

After the victory, Peterson revealed that the end of his tenure with the Cardinals still doesn't sit well with him. According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Peterson said he "routinely found disparaging emails from fans printed out and left on his chair during his final seasons in the Cardinals locker room."

He added that the emails were addressed to team ownership and contained "messages that ranged from his age to his tackling ability to threats to cancel season tickets as long as he remained on the roster."

Per Seifert, Peterson called it "mind-boggling" that someone within the Cardinals organization would want him to see those messages. He added that he remembered wondering, "What did I do to deserve this from a fan?"

Peterson had a strong performance in Sunday's win, finishing with four tackles and three pass breakups. There was a moment during the game when he mocked Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray with a celebration dance referencing the quarterback's affinity for "Call of Duty."

The 32-year-old explained that he still feels disrespected by how his time ended with the franchise.

"I'm still waiting on [general manager] Steve Keim to call me," Peterson said. "Still haven't talked to him."

After registering just four pass breakups in the first five games of the season, Peterson is back to playing at the level he's known for, with six pass breakups over his last two outings. The eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro said he hopes to prove that he can still be a shutdown cornerback.

"All I heard the last two years is that 'He's washed up, he's done,'" Peterson said. "I know we've still got a second half of the season to go, but I'm just getting started. Like, I'm in my zone right now. I'm in a groove. I've been here before, I know how to keep it."

He continued, "And I want to continue being challenged and continue helping this team win ballgames. Because I promise you this, if I get challenged, I will show up on the stat sheet. And that's why I've been missing out on Pro Bowls and All-Pros. I'm here. Twelve years in, and I'm still standing strong."

The Vikings (6-1) will be going for their sixth straight win when they travel to face the Washington Commanders (4-4) next Sunday.

Justin Fields has had a rough time since arriving in the NFL last year, but he didn't do himself any favors during Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Late in the third quarter with the Chicago Bears trailing 35-23, Fields found David Montgomery with a dump-off pass on 3rd-and-16, and he nearly converted a first down before the ball was knocked out of his hand.

Micah Parsons recovered the fumble and was able to get up off the ground and return it for a 36-yard touchdown because Fields hurdled him rather than touch him to make sure the play was dead after the turnover.

It's unclear what Fields was thinking in that moment, but NFL Twitter had a field day (no pun intended) with the mistake from the Bears' second-year quarterback.

The most likely explanation for what happened is Fields forgot that in the NFL, unlike college, you have to touch a downed opponent for the play to be over. It's not a good excuse, especially for a player who isn't a rookie, but it could very well be the case.

Despite the miscue in that moment, Fields has continued to look much better now that the coaching staff has figured out he can run the ball. The 23-year-old responded by leading a 13-play touchdown drive on Chicago's next possession.

The Bears' 62 points dating back to Monday's win over the New England Patriots is almost as many as they had in the previous four games combined (64).

The Detroit Lions are honoring arguably the greatest player in franchise history with a statue in front of Ford Field.

During halftime of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, the Lions announced they are placing an eight-foot bronze statue of Barry Sanders outside Ford Field before the start of the 2023 season.

Sanders spent his entire 10-year playing career with the Lions from 1989 to 1998. He is the franchise's all-time leader in rushing yards (15,269), rushing touchdowns (99) and total touchdowns (109).

At the time of his retirement, Sanders ranked second in NFL history in rushing yards, behind only Walter Payton (16,726). He has since been passed on the all-time list by Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Frank Gore (16,000).

The Lions retired the No. 20 jersey in 2004 in honor of Sanders, as well as other franchise icons Billy Sims and Lem Barney. He was also named to their all-time team that was announced in 2019.

Sanders is the only Lions player ever to win NFL MVP, when he shared the award with Brett Favre in 1997 after rushing for 2,053 yards.

Sanders will be the first player in Lions history to have a statue erected in his honor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2004.

Two days away from the NFL trade deadline, a number of difference-making defensive players could find themselves on new teams soon.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, multiple teams have called the Denver Broncos about linebacker Bradley Chubb, including one that is willing to trade its first-round pick and additional compensation.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo added that opposing teams believe Chubb is the "most likely" Broncos player to be dealt before the deadline, but Denver won't do it unless it gets "the perfect offer."

Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns was another marquee name Rapoport, Pelissero and Garafolo cited. Schefter reported last week the Panthers had already turned down an offer of two first-round picks for the 24-year-old.

According to the NFL Network report, the Panthers intend to keep Burns with the goal of extending him "in part to make sure the next head coach has plenty of talent to work with." They did note that general manager Scott Fitterer will always take calls, but a team would have to increase the offer from two first-round draft picks to entice him to make the move.

After Robert Quinn's trade to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, linebacker Roquan Smith's future with the Chicago Bears became a hot topic of discussion. The 25-year-old requested a trade during the offseason because of his unhappiness with how the Bears were handling extension talks.

According to Rapoport, Pelissero and Garafolo, there are a select group of teams with a need at inside linebacker that could pursue Smith. But the Bears could be inclined to franchise-tag him for at least one more season as they try to negotiate a long-term deal.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen has also been discussed, but it doesn't sound like a deal will happen before the deadline.

"Allen remains a key and valued piece of their future," Rapoport, Pelissero and Garafolo wrote. "He's a player Jacksonville wants to keep rather than trade and then attempt to replace. He would be due just $10.892 million in 2023 on his fifth-year option and in line for a big extension sooner than later."

Based on their positional value and production, Burns, Chubb and Allen would likely be the most impactful players moved if any of them were to get dealt.

Burns has one year remaining on his rookie deal that will pay him $16 million in 2023. He has eight tackles for loss and five sacks for the Panthers.

Chubb has eight quarterback hits and 5.5 sacks in seven starts this season.

Allen has 11 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and three sacks in seven games. He would likely bring back more in a trade than Chubb by virtue of having one year remaining on his rookie contract.

Often, the NFL trade deadline ends up being a lot more smoke than fire. But with Christian McCaffrey and Quinn having already been dealt, teams vying for a playoff spot could be more aggressive in a season with so much parity around the league.

The trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Aaron Rodgers turned heads Tuesday when he suggested some players shouldn't be playing as much for the struggling Green Bay Packers, but nobody on the team appeared to take issue with his comments.

At least they didn't take issue with them to his face.

"If one of those guys has a problem with it, I'm right here, and I'd love to have a conversation," Rodgers said Wednesday, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "I enjoy those conversations. I enjoy any type of conflict like that because I know the resolution on the other side is going to make us a better unit, a better friendship, a better cohesion on the field. But nobody's come to me and said, 'I've got a problem with what you said.'"

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the quarterback said: "Guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn't be playing. Gotta start cutting some reps. Maybe guys who aren't playing, maybe give them a chance."

Rather than taking umbrage with Rodgers, head coach Matt LaFleur and wide receiver Sammy Watkins seemed to agree.

"If you're not performing or executing or doing the things that you're supposed to be doing, then I'm with Aaron," Watkins said. "If I'm not playing well and I'm freaking up and busting plays, get me out of the game because that's not helping the team. I think that's a wake-up call to everybody, wake-up call to myself."

LaFleur pointed out Rodgers did not call anyone out by name, adding "we have to be truthful with one another."

The truth is the Packers have been among the NFL's biggest disappointments in the early going this season.

They entered the campaign with Super-Bowl-or-bust expectations after losing in two NFC Championship Games and the divisional round in the last three years. Rodgers won each of the last two MVP awards to bring his career total to four and is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in league history.

Yet Green Bay is just 3-4 and losers of three straight, the most recent of which came against the 3-4 Washington Commanders.

Rodgers' numbers look fine on paper, as he has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 1,597 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, but the offense as a whole has struggled.

The Packers are 23rd in the league in points per game and 20th in yards per game and seem to be missing star wide receiver Davante Adams, whom they traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this past offseason.

Even the wins haven't been all that inspiring, as the offense scored a combined three points in the second halves of victories over the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Whether that will lead to personnel changes and alterations in playing time for some players remains to be seen, but the Packers will be under the spotlight Sunday following Rodgers' comments when they take on the Buffalo Bills.