Bears
- Per the Athleticโs Kevin Fishbain, Bears chairperson George McCaskey opened Wednesdayโs press conference by acknowledging their decision to retain GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy would not be popular: โYou deserve your Bears being winners. The decisions weโre announcing today may not be the easiest or most popular, but we believe theyโre the best decisions for the Bears.โ
- Bears president Ted Phillips acknowledged the team isnโt where it needs to be but believes Pace and Nagy can get them there: โWeโre not happy and weโre far from satisfied. Making the playoffs is a step in the right direction, but itโs not enough. We need to win in the playoffs and we need to compete for and win a championship. โฆ We believe Ryan and Matt are excellent leaders.โ (Fishbain)
- Despite the lack of wins, Phillips defended the teamโs culture: โWe have exactly the right culture that all football teams strive for.โ (Jeff Dickerson)
- Pace also is proud of the culture he and Nagy have built: โIs 8-8 good enough? No. Is losing in the first round good enough? No. But what I appreciate is we fought, we stuck together.โ (Fishbain)
- McCaskey said neither Pace nor Nagy received a contract extension. (Fishbain)
- He added the idea that Phillips is part of the problem with the teamโs performance doesnโt hold water: โRyan and Matt are our football guys. Iโve heard it often that Ted meddles in football affairs and that notion is just absurd. It just doesnโt happen.โ (Fishbain)
- McCaskey addressed the clear elephant in the room regarding the Bearsโ biggest weakness: โItโs pretty clear we need better production from the quarterback position to be successful.โ (Mike Garafolo)
- Nick Foles is likely on the team given his salary and Mitchell Trubisky is a pending free agent. But Pace suggested the Bears will do something to shake things up at the position: โWe definitely need more out of the [QB] position. We know that. What does that entail? Thatโs what this whole offseason is aboutโฆ.Everything is on the table.โ (Andrew Siciliano)
- Pace didnโt indicate if they would try to bring back Trubisky. (Dickerson)
- Pace mentioned they expect RB Tarik Cohen back in time for camp after tearing his ACL this year, while OLB Khalil Mack played through a shoulder injury this season: โWe appreciate the way he fought through that. โฆ That was real.โ (Fishbain)
Lions
- Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Lions have not requested permission to interview Steelers GM Kevin Colbert.
- The Lions are bringing in DB Godwin Igwebuike, DE Robert McCray, and TE Hunter Thedford for visits this week. (Aaron Wilson)
Packers
For the second year in a row, the Packers finished 13-3 and with a first-round bye. But as opposed to last season, when the 49ers demolished Green Bay in the NFC title game and left a sense of fraudulence around the team, this yearโs version of the Packers looks for real. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers says that while the record may be the same, the team feels clearly better in Year 2 of HC Matt LaFleurโs offense.
โWe thought we could win it last year (but) the Niners were such a dominant team and that maybe hit our confidence,โ Rodgers said via ESPNโs Rob Demovsky. โBut I feel like we have a lot of confidence and believe in ourselves. Offensively, weโre just a better, much more efficient team โฆ and playing with a lot more confidence.โ
- The Packers are bringing OT Andrew Donnal for a workout this week. (Aaron Wilson)
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on X.com and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!