Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
As it turns out, the Chicago Bears didn’t really want to pay Israel Idonije. The defensive lineman was unable to come to an agreement with the Bears, so he ultimately had to make the best move for his career. That move was to join the rival Detroit Lions. Immediately when fans see a player jump to a rival division team, they’re going to read into it, and assume that there’s bad blood between the two sides. It sounds like that might be partially true for Idonije.
The defensive lineman recently did an interview where he admitted that he’s going to be looking forward to the two games against Chicago each year:
“But I’m looking forward to twice a year dressing up, suiting up and getting after it on the field when we play the Bears in Detroit and then in Chicago. So it’s nothing focused on one player but just really showing a great product on the field, especially when we play those teams.”
That one player Idonije is referring to is Jay Cutler, who he says he has no ill feelings towards.
Idonije gave a pretty safe answer here, but he definitely revealed that he has a little animosity towards his old club. If nothing else, he wants to show them that they made a mistake by letting him walk. To me, that’s all positive news for the Lions. Players with chips on their shoulders typically play a little bit better, as long as they can focus their anger.
While Detroit helped out Idonije by offering him a contract, he’s actually helping the club out a ton. The Lions needed another solid veteran presence up front, and that’s exactly what they got with the 32-year old.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter
