The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have the longest standing rivalry in the NFL. The two teams have met a total of 208 times. The Packers currently hold a 107-95-6 all-time advantage over Chicago. However, the rivalry has certainly been one-sided as of late; Green Bay is in the middle of a 10 game winning streak and are 18-2 over the last 10 years.
However, reports are now surfacing that the Bears could be interested in landing a former Packers starter who has spent his entire career in Green Bay.
The Chicago Bears Pegged To Land Former Green Bay Packers Starter
According to Max Dible of Heave on Bears:
The Chicago Bears need safety help after parting ways with long-time starter Eddie Jackson, and a rival Green Bay Packers defensive back is poised to hit free agency in March.
Lester Wiltfong Jr. of SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron on Saturday, February 17, took a look at five options the Bears can pursue in free agency. Among the most notable was Darnell Savage, who the Packers selected 21st overall in the 2019 NFL draft.
“Savage will be 27 when camp begins and is a former first-round pick of Green Bay,” Wiltfong wrote. “In his five seasons with the Pack, he has started 69 games and has recorded nine interceptions. Last year, he missed seven games with a calf injury. Savage is a good player, not a great one, but his overall play is better than Jackson’s as he has similar ball skills and plays the run and tackles better than Jackson.”
The Packers Have Indicated They’re Moving On From Darnell Savage
Per Packers’ salary cap expert Ken Ingalls:
If the Packers wanted to bring back Savage, Nijman, or Nixon for 2024 it would have been most cost effective to have extended them before their void provisions kicked in.
Extending would have saved:
- -Savage: $4.1M
- -Nijman: $1.9M
- -Nixon: $1.1M
They didn’t – They are likely gone.
The writing may be on the wall for Savage and his time in Green Bay. If the Packers decide to not bring him back, could he go to the “dark” side and suit up in the Blue and Orange?
