Ex-Packers star gets brutally honest on lingering Bears beef

The Green Bay Packers selected Clay Matthews at No. 26 overall in 2009. He starred for the team until 2018, winning multiple honors and establishing himself as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The 6-foot-3 athlete also played several games against the team’s rivals, the Chicago Bears.

Matthews enjoyed a successful collegiate career with the USC Trojans, earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2008 and helped the program to two Rose Bowl victories. His strong run continued in the NFL as he won the Super Bowl in 2011 and received Pro Bowler honors six times.

The California native last played in the league in 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams and officially announced his retirement in February 2022. Matthews expressed his desire to end his playing career with the Packers, but no team signed him for two seasons.

Clay Matthews clowning Chicago Bears at NFL Draft — Clay Matthews roasts Chicago Bears at NFL Draft.

Clay Matthews still has beef with the Bears

The 40-year-old admitted that he still gets “a little upset” when he sees the Bears defeat the Packers. Despite already being retired for more than four years, the rivalry still lives on in him. Matthews also shared a story when a woman recognized her for his comments during the 2025 draft when he shouted: “The Bears still suck.”

“So do I feel the pain? No,” Matthews said on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast. “But I feel like if I’m going to go up there on draft night and say what I say, like, ‘The Bears still suck,’ you can’t just be like, ‘I don’t care.’ It’s nothing. So yes, I was a little upset. I went to the post office. I was getting moved addresses, getting a change of mail thing going, and the lady looks at me and she’s like, ‘Oh, I thought I recognized you.

“She’s like, ‘All right, you’re good to go.’ I said, ‘I’m all good.’ She goes, ‘Oh yeah, do the Bears still suck?’ And I was like, ‘Damn.’ I’m getting that a lot lately. I’m leaning into the Packers, so.”

Clay Matthews still has beef with Bears fans pic.twitter.com/RNh3igNQ2L

— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) July 21, 2026

Chicago will face Green Bay twice in the 2026 regular season, including a Christmas Day matchup. The teams split the regular-season meeting last season, but the Bears had the last laugh after they defeated the Packers 31-27 in the Wild Card Round.