Even Packers fans have to appreciate Bears' gesture to former Green Bay safety

The Chicago Bears love to sign former Green Bay Packers players, a trend they continued this offseason by bringing in safety Jonathan Owens.

Owens spent one season with the Packers, starting 11 games. While he had some memorable moments, like a defensive touchdown in the win over the Detroit Lions, he was far too inconsistent, prompting the Packers to move on and rebuild their safety room in the offseason.

Time will tell whether the Bears' decision to sign Owens proves to be the right one, but while they often get things wrong, they deserve credit for the gesture they have made to him.

Bears will allow former Packers safety Jonathan Owens to take time off during Olympics

Owens is married to Olympic superstar Simone Biles, who became a Packers fan during their time in Green Bay. Biles often attended games at Lambeau Field, and Owens wants to return the favor when she represents Team USA in the Olympics this summer.

Not every team would allow their players to take time off during training camp. But even as a Packers fan, the Bears deserve credit for this. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team has granted Owens "special permission" to travel to Paris to support Biles during the Olympics.

As Packers fans, we usually get to laugh at the Bears' decision-making. But this one is fair enough. If Owens still played in Green Bay, we would hope the Packers would give him the same opportunity.

However, while it's a nice gesture, it doesn't help the Bears on the field, so that's another positive for the Packers. While Owens will likely only miss a few days, that's valuable practice reps lost. And that could be crucial when Dontayvion Wicks is catching a big touchdown in front of him this season.

For once, we'll give the Bears credit. But ironically, it's a move that actually hurts their football team by allowing a player to miss important practices.

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