Green Bay Packers have already seen a number of former players leave to play elsewhere this off-season. That was no different over the last 72 hours as Green Bay saw one of their former stars sign with a division rival. While the news itself was shocking to many fans, a comment afterward is what really got the fans going. Robert Tonyan recently signed a one-year with the Chicago Bears. Tonyan, in his prime, was certainly a star for the Packers. He tied the franchise’s single-season touchdown record by a tight end in 2020 with 11. Now he’ll face off against the Packers twice a year.
Robert Tonyan’s Comment Has Green Bay Packers Fans Heated
According to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune:
Robert Tonyan’s NFL career blossomed over six seasons while catching passes from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But all the while Tonyan, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, kept in his basement the jersey and autograph from a childhood hero, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
“Did I think I’d be a tight end for the Bears? No,” Tonyan said on a videoconference call with Chicago reporters Friday. “But did I think I’d play for the Bears? Yeah, absolutely. In my brain I was playing for the Bears my whole life. I’m just super pumped to be here.”
“It’s difficult because you don’t play football for a whole year, and your body and mind kind of check out of the actual football aspect of things,” he said. “Neurologically speaking, your body is not used to those movements and playing and straining and stuff like that. But toward the end of the year, the last four games after our late bye week, I started feeling like myself again and being able to put my brand of football out there that I was seeking. I just ended strong, and it gave me a better feeling about going into the offseason and going into this process.”
“(Fields) is a mentally strong young player,” Tonyan said. “That’s hard to do when you come in the league when you have a lot of — whether it’s positive or negative — things being said about you in the media, just keeping your cool and playing your game. … He’s staying in there, taking hits, popping up. He kept coming back for more.
“That’s what you want in a quarterback and a leader, someone who doesn’t quit or back down, playing through injuries or whatever it may be. I’m just super excited to be a part of that.”
While many Green Bay Packers fans understand Tonyan was mentioning the Bears being “home” because he grew up in Illinois and a Bears fan, he has dawned the Green and Gold for the last five seasons. Many didn’t take kindly to this comment:
Bears always picking up packer scraps
— 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁’𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲™️ (@yelichfans) March 17, 2023
I’m not gonna thank anybody who goes to the Bears ✌🏼
— Since 95' (@NoHead_KickRox) March 17, 2023
Goes from Rodgers throwing him darts to Fields bouncing balls at his feet.
— nebs (@nebs862) March 17, 2023
— Michelle Sandoval (@mdsandoval76) March 17, 2023
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