NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Vikings

Bears

• When taking a look at potential cap casualties, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic writes that DT Eddie Goldman carries a cap figure of $11.8 million in 2022 and the team is converting to a 4-3 defense under Eberflus.
• Fishbain also names QB Nick Foles, RB Tarik Cohen, LB Danny Trevathan, DE Jeremiah Attaochu, and G Cody Whitehair as potential cuts to keep an eye on. 

Packers

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said he’s not ready to dig into hypotheticals regarding QB Aaron Rodgers and where he will play in 2022.

“Those are some hypotheticals that I don’t think we’re going to go down those roads right now,” Gutekunst said, via ESPN.

Gutekunst denied having a handshake agreement with Rodgers regarding any potential scenarios involving a trade if he still wanted out after the 2021 season.

“That was not something I told him,” Gutekunst said. “Again, I think the whole conversation with Aaron last season before he came back was that, regardless, at the end of this past season, that we would sit down as a group and we would work it out one way or another.”

Gutekunst said he isn’t tempted by any potential haul of draft picks that he can get for Rodgers or WR Davante Adams.

“Because I think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win a Super Bowl next year,” Gutekunst said when asked why he wouldn’t trade him. “He’s the MVP of the league. That’s our goal. I think we have an opportunity to do it right now. That’s why.”

Gutekunst admitted that the team “kind of wasted that opportunity,” regarding being the #1 seed in the NFC before eventually losing to the 49ers in the Divisional Round.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t finish it off the last two years, but there’s no reason to think we can’t get right back there and knock on the door and get there,” Gutekunst said. “So, yeah, I think we’re full forward ahead.”

Rodgers said he still has some things to work out before coming to a decision on his 18th season, however, Gutekunst said that the team won’t pressure Rodgers’ decision, and will hopefully be able to provide some clarity on his decision soon.

“That not a question I can answer for you,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously he’s going through his process. I think the one thing that I know for sure is Aaron takes this stuff very seriously. His performance and what he brings to our football team on so many different levels, he puts a lot into that and he knows how much work it takes during the offseason to prepare himself to give to our team what he does. So I think he’s going through his process right now to get himself ready to make sure he knows that he wants to do that because I don’t think it’s easy what he does to prepare for a season.”

The Packers are in a holding pattern until Rodgers decides his next steps.

“Obviously everything around here kind of centers on the quarterback,” Gutekunst said. “It’s a big piece and a domino that kind of has to fall before we go down the other avenues. So it’s important as we go through this and the puzzle pieces we have to try to make fit. That’s the first one to go.”

• Pat McAfee says he texted Aaron Rodgers regarding the recent report that he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL by a wide margin. Rodgers told McAfee that the report is “categorically false.”

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said he felt confident after interviewing with Minnesota, despite facing stiff competition for the role, most notably, from Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh.

“I did not,” O’Connell said, via Vikings Wire. “There was a very, very clear communication that was there the whole time from the organization to myself…I knew it was going to be incredibly competitive because they had a great list of candidates they had talked to. And really, all of the candidates that were able to kind of receive that second interview were guys that quite frankly are great leaders, great people. Their track records speak for themselves. Although I was incredibly confident in myself, if I got another opportunity for this job, to go ahead and try to convince the decision-makers involved that I was the right person for that job. I was very much aware that there were some other great people up for it as well. And in the end, I feel great about how the process played out and the communication throughout that process and kind of where things stood every step of the way.”