In light of their first division championship in more than 30 years, some fans believe that general manager Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers took a jab at the Detroit Lions.
When addressing reporters, Gutekunst was questioned about pursuing the Detroit Lions, who won the NFC North the previous campaign. In a dismissive statement,
Gutekunst claimed that the Packers had “never hung banners for division championships” in contrast to the Lions, who had raised one in celebration of their most recent victory.
Brian Gutekunst was asked today about chasing the Lions: “Around here, we’ve never hung banners for division championships, so it’s never been about that. It’s a nice starting point, but I think we’re always looking for bigger things.” I don’t think he was taking a shot, but…
It’s possible that Gutekunst was merely stating—and this is reasonable—that the Packers want to win more than just NFC North championships. However, the mention of banners definitely caught some people’s attention.
Naturally, the Packers and Lions have a long history of rivalry. There were considerable postgame animosity after Detroit’s victory over Green Bay in the last week of the 2022 season prevented the Packers from making the playoffs.
Undoubtedly, the franchise and its supporters are not happy about being passed over by the Lions, even if they have higher goals in mind than just winning division title
s.
