Chicago Bears icon Brian Urlacher didn't hold back while talking about former Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers.
Chicago Bears icon Brian Urlacher faced a lot of great quarterbacks during his Hall of Fame career.
However, Urlacher didn't mince words when he was asked to name the toughest QB he played.
Urlacher, one of the greatest defenders in NFL history, went with former Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s Aaron because we played him twice a year,” Urlacher said in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “I played Peyton (Manning) maybe two or three times, I think Tom (Brady) as well. Aaron was the biggest pain in the ass. Like I said, the mobility, and we played well against them sometimes. He also had some great games against us.
“When he started playing for them is when they really started turning the tables on that rivalry. We did OK my first six or seven years, and I think we were above .500. When Aaron took over is when they really started to dominate that series versus the Bears. That was because of him.”
Rodgers spent the first 18 years of his career with the Packers. He went 147-75-1 in the regular season and 11-10 in the playoffs. The NFL legend won four MVPs, one Super Bowl and one Super Bowl MVP and made 10 Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.
“He was one of the first guys who just moved around to manipulate the pocket and then threw the ball down the field,” Urlacher said. “Most guys did that, and they would try to run. He didn’t do that. He just kind of moved around and threw the ball all the way down the damn field. He had a great arm, so he was just so hard to stop.
“We just ran Cover 2, pretty much. We figured out early on that if we ran Cover 2, we might give up three yards rushing the ball, but he wasn’t going to make big plays against us. So, if they were patient, we would be patient too. And it worked out sometimes. Sometimes it didn’t.”
Rodgers has the most touchdown passes in Packers history with 475. He's second in passing yards to Brett Favre.
The Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Ironically, Rodgers and former Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy are now members of Pittsburgh.
Green Bay traded Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023 to begin the Jordan Love era. Rodgers appeared in only 18 games with New York. He was released in 2025 and joined the Steelers.
One of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, Rodgers has 527 career passing touchdowns and 66,274 career passing yards in the regular season with the Packers, Jets and Steelers. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day.
The Packers will retire Rodgers' No. 12 jersey when he officially retires from the NFL. Rodgers will end his football career after the 2026 season.
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