Luther Burden arrived last season as a 2nd round pick of the Chicago Bears. This wasn’t a player who had any sort of connection to the team’s century-long rivalry against the Green Bay Packers. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent his entire childhood and young adult life there. It was all about SEC football. Hatred of Alabama and the like. It would probably take him a year or two before he truly grasped how deep-seated the hatred is between these two NFL mainstays.
Don’t ever say Burden is a slow learner. December 7th of last year marked his first experience of the rivalry when the Bears went up to Lambeau Field. In a physical game before a raucous crowd, the two teams traded shots. Green Bay took an early 14-3 lead before Chicago stormed back. In the midst of all that, Burden drew the attention of the cameras when he choked Packers defensive back Keisean Nixon. This occurred after the wide receiver got into a heated exchange with Nixon’s teammate, Corey Ballentine.
Ever since then, Luther Burden has delighted in trolling the Packers
While the incident drew criticism for the rookie, Bears fans loved it. They wanted players who wouldn’t take any crap from Green Bay. Burden, to his credit, leaned into it. A month later, when the two teams met for the wild card round of the playoffs, the wide receiver used the choking gesture as a celebration after a 1st down. This was not somebody with any regrets about what they did. It certainly didn’t make Packers fans feel better when the Bears overcame a 21-3 deficit to win the game.
Now Luther Burden is up to his shenanigans again. The season hasn’t even started yet, and he is already setting the tone for the upcoming season. Recently, news broke that future Hall of Fame basketball star LeBron James would be departing the Los Angeles Lakers for a new team this upcoming 2026-2027 season. The Packers’ social media team decided to take advantage of the buzz with a post about his free agency. Burden wasn’t about to let that fly without a small reminder of what’s coming.
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Burden is eager to pick up where he left off.
He never really got the chance to be a focal point in the Bears offense last season. That honor was often held by Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, or D.J. Moore. That didn’t stop him from being productive against the Packers. In two meetings, he was targeted 13 times, making seven catches for 109 yards. With Moore out of the picture, it sounds like head coach Ben Johnson plans to funnel more opportunities to Burden. He is more than ready for it. This is what he’s been working towards for years.
It sure seems like he plans to save his best for Green Bay. The first meeting will be on October 11th at Lambeau Field. One can probably assume he has a certain celebration in mind if he makes a big play during that contest. His embrace of the rivalry is a breath of fresh air after many years of Bears receivers going through the motions of treating it as “just another game.”
