The Green Bay Packers have ruled the NFC North for as long as memory serves.
There have been seasons where the Bears or Minnesota Vikings cycle up and make the playoffs or win the division. But for the most part, the Packers have ruled with an iron fist.
But Sunday might be a day that saw the start of a seismic shift in the division.
Early in the day, the Bears completed a near-perfect teardown season by losing to the Vikings and securing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Armed with over $100 million in salary cap space, the top pick, and a young ascending quarterback in Justin Fields, the arrow is pointing up for the Bears as they enter a critical offseason.
There's no telling what moves the offseason will bring. There's hope general manager Ryan Poles will add the talent necessary to take the Bears from conference doormat to eventual title contender.
But no one bats 1000. Poles will hit on some of his moves and miss on others. It's the nature of the business. But as long as Fields takes the necessary steps forward as a passer, the Bears should be in position to start moving up the division ladder in 2023.
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While those in Chicago were celebrating what they hope is a transformational day for the franchise, Rodgers' mystique was further shattered hours later. Facing a do-or-die scenario, the Detroit Lions, the other rebuilding team in the NFC North, rolled into Lambeau Field with nothing to play for and bounced the Packers from the playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, Rodgers traveled a familiar road after stinking up the place in a win-and-in game by hinting that his time in the NFL might finally be over.
"At some point the carrousel comes to a stop," Rodgers told reporters after the loss, "and it’s time to get off. I think you kind of know when that is. That’s what needs to be contemplated. Is it time? Also, what’s the organization doing? That’s part of it as well, but the competitive fire is always going to be there. I don’t think that’s ever going away. Sometimes it gets transferred to other things that might not ever fill that large void."
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This is a similar message to the one Rodgers uttered after last season's flop in the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers. He also made similar statements the previous year after a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC title game.
He likes to suggest he might retire while also pointing to the organization and asking them what they plan to do to make the Packers competitive in the following season.
It's the same act with the same players—only the setting changes.
Perhaps this time will be different for Rodgers. He's 39 years old and can probably feel the division going in a different direction as his powers diminish.
He'll take some time to decide if he wants to come back for another ride with a Packers team that will look different in 2023.
"It’s a feeling," Rodgers said. "Do I feel like I have anything left to prove to myself? Do I want to go back and gear up for another grind? Or is it time? Is it time to step away? Is it time for another voice to be leading this team? I think I need to get away and contemplate those things. Those are real for me. I have a lot of pride in what I’ve accomplished in this league, but I’m also a realist. I understand where we’re at as a team. We’re a young team. There could be changes with some of the older guys, and it could be time to step away.
"But I could take some time and say, 'Hell no, man. I need to get back out there and go on another run.' But I’ll have to see what it feels like once I’m away from it."
Then again, there's also the matter of the three-year, $150 million contract with the Packers in March that comes with $101.4 million in guarantees. His compensation in 2023 is $60 million and is fully guaranteed.
Why would Rodgers turn down $60 million for another year of football? The decision is entirely up to him.
But whether he comes back or not, it's a new day in the NFC.
The Vikings went 13-4 after undergoing a "soft rebuild." But their clock is ticking.
The Bears are starting their ascent, and the Lions are knocking on the door. Hard.
“And another thing: Stop playing us, man,” Williams told NBC's Melissa Stark after the Lions' win at Lambeau. “We the Detroit Lions. We the Detroit Lions. Stop playing with us. I don’t even watch TV, but I heard everybody already picked the Packers over us. Stop playing with us. That’s all I gotta say, man. Don’t let these tears fool you. It’s all dog around this mug.”
The former laughingstock of the division has rebuilt things the right way. They focused on the trenches, hit on almost all of their first-round picks, and brought in a head coach in Dan Campbell, who got them to play their hearts out Sunday just to ensure that Rodgers' season ended before the playoffs.
Rodgers' grip on the division has been loosening for years.
With his aura of invincibility torn to shreds and the tide turning in the division, Sunday might mark the day that a new day in the NFC North finally dawned.