PALM BEACH, Fla. – Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur don’t know each other personally. Now they’ll clash as opposing head coaches in the NFL’s longest-standing rivalry.

The Bears and Packers don’t like each other. Victories matter to the fan bases and organizations alike.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Jets coach Aaron Glenn, Bears coach Ben Johnson forged bond in competitive fire
• NFL mock draft 2025: Bears’ seven-round picks include Will Campbell
• Too-early Bears starting lineups and how NFL draft can improve them
• How Bears stack up in NFC North following NFL free agency moves

That’s why new Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s introductory-press-conference statement about the fact he “enjoyed beating (Packers head coach) Matt LaFleur twice a year” as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator could be perceived as a shot across the bow.

It’s hard to imagine it was intended to be one. Johnson’s greater point was that, like Bears fans, he reveled in beating a division rival.

Calling out LaFleur by name, especially without a standing relationship, over naming the Packers in general may have ratcheted things up a little bit.

Green Bay’s head coach didn’t stoke the flames when asked about it on Tuesday here at the NFL annual meeting.

“It’s all good,” LaFleur said. “I’m sure he’s just playing to the fans a little bit. It is what it is. I’m not going to lose too much sleep over it.”

While both guys are offensive play callers and didn’t necessarily go head-to-head, the Lions went 6-1 against the Packers when Johnson was Detroit OC.

The Bears hope he brings such success with him. The Bears have recently been dominated in a rivalry more than a century old. They had lost 11 straight matchups before snapping the streak in Week 18 last year. The Bears finally won on a comeback drive orchestrated by Caleb Williams and completed by a Cairo Santos field goal.