When the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears meet for the first time in 2025, the postgame handshake between the two coaches will suddenly become must-watch.

Ever since new Bears head coach Ben Johnson threw shade at Matt LaFleur during his introductory news conference in January, there’s now a new layer to this rivalry.

LaFleur has been asked repeatedly about Johnson in the last few months, including at the NFL Draft in Green Bay last week.

“Do you have beef with coach Johnson?” host Taylor Lewan asked LaFleur when the Packers head coach joined him on the “Bussin with the Boys Podcast.”

“Do I have beef?” LaFleur said. “I don’t know Ben Johnson. I respect him as a football coach. He did a nice job.”

Johnson apparently has beef with the Packers head coach.

When he was introduced as the Bears head coach earlier this year he went out of his way to name-drop LaFleur in saying he wanted to stay in the NFC North so he could face LaFleur. Johnson spent six seasons on the Detroit Lions staff, including the last three as offensive coordinator.

“And to be quite frank with you,” Johnson noted, “I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”

The Lions beat the Packers five of six times in the three years that Johnson was offensive coordinator with sweeps coming in 2022 and 2024. The teams split the matchups in 2023.

“I thought it was interesting,” LaFleur said of Johnson’s comments. “The press conference was interesting, but I don’t have beef with him. I don’t get all into that.”

Could the NFL see what then-San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh did many years ago when his aggressive handshake toward then-Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz after a game led to the two needing to be separated?

“I would never do that,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur also brought up Johnson during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” during the draft.

“We got a great division. Chicago’s done a nice job of adding to their roster,” LaFleur said. “You get a good football coach as he said himself in Ben Johnson. I do respect Ben. He’s one of the best playcallers in the game.”

At the league meetings in late March, LaFleur was also asked about Johnson. He said he doesn’t go way back with Johnson and that he’s not losing any sleep over the Bears head coach’s comments.

“I’m sure he’s playing to the fans a little bit,” LaFleur said.