NFC Notes: Bears, Jared Goff, Lions, Aaron Rodgers, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• Bears HC Matt Eberflus said of newly signed DL DeMarcus Walker: “You can see his style. He’s hard-charging, ability to kick inside on pass downs … Another guy that fits our philosophy.” (Kevin Fishbain)
• As for DT Andrew Billings, Eberflus said: “Adding a piece inside really to anchor the inside of that defense.”
• Eberflus was asked if he thinks upgrading talent around QB Justin Fields should lead to better offensive results this year: “Yeah. Absolutely …We’re solidifying the offensive line and we’re getting the skill sets around him that we need to move the ball down the field and score points. And we’re excited about where that’s going.” (Courtney Cronin)
• Eberflus said of free agent addition LB Tremaine Edmunds: “Just that big body presence in the middle between the hashes. That’s where a lot of the throws go. And it really deters that. With his size and length, he has tremendous range as a pass defender.” (Dan Wiederer)
• Eberflus was asked about Edmunds not taking the ball away a lot in Buffalo: “When you put it on a player’s mind and really start to train a player to take the ball away and then he has that physical attributes he has – the length and the size and the range – that’s going to come for him.” (Wiederer)
• Eberflus also stressed the importance of continuing to improve their offensive and defensive lines: “You guys know and you can see it. We obviously need some spots on our whole football team, but certainly on our lines. We’re still working on that. Still gonna be a work in progress.” (Wiederer)

Lions

Lions HC Dan Campbell said he loves what QB Jared Goff brings to the position and is satisfied with what they have in the quarterback room.

• Lions GM Brad Holmes said the team is in a “unique” position when it comes to drafting a quarterback and the team has been in constant communication with Goff regarding their plans. (Kyle Meinke)
• Campbell said of the possibility of signing Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: “Look, Lamar is a heck of a talent. Trying to defend that guy has been something else. We played them two years ago. But, man, we’ve got a quarterback. So, I’m like, ‘We’ve got a quarterback, and thank God we got one.’ So, we’re good.” (Charean Williams)
• Campbell said the Lions will have joint practices against the Giants in Week 1 of the preseason this summer. (Dave Birkett)

Packers

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said he tried unsuccessfully to reach QB Aaron Rodgers “many times” prior to his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I was really looking forward to the conversations with Aaron to see how he fit into that,” Gutekunst said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Those never transpired. So there came a time where we had to make some decisions, so we went through his representatives to try to talk to him [about] where were we going with our team. At that point, they informed us that he would like to be traded to the Jets.”

“Our inability to reach him or for him to respond in any way,” Gutekunst explained. “I think at that point, I had to do my job and kind of reach out [to other teams] and understand that a trade could be possible and see who was interested. You’d love to have those conversations about where our team’s going and how he might fit into that. We were unable to have those, so it is what it is. At the same time, Aaron’s been a great player for us. He means a lot to the organization. There’s a lot of gratitude there, but those conversations would’ve been nice.”

Gutekunst was asked about a first-round pick being included in a potential trade for Rodgers before turning his attention to praising QB Jordan Love for his patience during the situation. 

“That’s not a necessity,” Gutekunst replied. “I think fair value for the player is important. There are risks to all this. But again, I’m hopeful, I’m confident that we’ll be able to reach a conclusion at some point. We’ll figure those things out as they come, but right now, I think we’re just focused on facilitating a trade with the player and the Jets and what we want. I think that would be best for everybody, but we’ll see how that goes.”

“I think it’s really a credit to Jordan how he’s handled that and how professional he’s been through this, him and his representatives,” Gutekunst added. “We’ve been in kind of constant communication with them and him, and I think he’s got a really good outlook on this. He understands there’s so much out of his control, but I know he’s really preparing, and I think he’s really excited for this opportunity, and we are, as well.”

Vikings

• Per Jeremy Fowler, UAB CB Starling Thomas V is visiting with seven teams including the Chargers, Colts, and Vikings.
• The Vikings’ deal with WR Brandon Powell is for one year at $1.2325 million. He got a $75,000 signing bonus and $200,000 guaranteed. (Ben Goessling)
• Vikings FB C.J. Ham’s new deal with the team is worth $8.65 million over two years and includes $4.4 million guaranteed, and a $2.3 million signing bonus. (Goessling)
• Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell on QB Kirk Cousins playing out his contract: “I’m just excited for Year 2 for him in this offseason. My goal is for 2023 to be one of the best seasons of his career and when that happens it’s going to be a great thing for the Vikings.” (Ian Rapoport)