Ahead of one of the most heated rivalries in NFL history, the Green Bay Packers are paying their respect to former legendary Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka.
Ditka passed away on Friday at the age of 86, and tributes from across the NFL started to pour in immediately, including from a franchise that Ditka made bitter enemies with, the Packers.
While most of the tributes came specifically from the Bears and New Orleans Saints, two teams that Ditka coached in his career, the Packers also joined the tributes and released a highly-respectful tribute to the former Chicago coach. Acknowledging that fierce competitiveness he played and coached with against them, the team paid respect to Ditka for making the Bears and Packers rivalry what it has become.
A statement from the Green Bay Packers pic.twitter.com/xIRijncS4i
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 9, 2026
It's a great respectable move by Green Bay to pay their respects to Mike Ditka, but it won't create any room for friendliness in the Week 5 matchup between teh two franchises. Bears head coach Ben Johnson acknowledged that he would speak to the team about how Ditka coached against Green Bay and how they can pay their highest respect to their former coach by having a highly successful showing at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
The Packers will also hold a pregame moment of silence today before Sunday's game against the Bears, who will wear "89" decals on their helmets in tribute of Ditka.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Packers pay tribute to legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka
