Bears put Mike Ditka’s No. 89 on their helmets for Packers game at Lambeau

The Chicago Bears are wearing a “89” decal on their helmets at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 11, honoring Mike Ditka two days after the Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning coach died at 86.

The club showed the tribute in a photo of a game helmet before kickoff against the Green Bay Packers: Ditka’s retired number sits in an orange ring on the back of the shell, beside the American flag. Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport both reported that the sticker would be on every helmet for the game.

For 89 💙 pic.twitter.com/0pynPgHoBb

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 11, 2026

The setting adds weight to the gesture. Sunday’s game is the 214th meeting between the two franchises, and Ditka spent much of his life on the Chicago side of that rivalry, first as a bruising tight end and later as the head coach who prowled the sideline in his trademark sweater.

A rival’s farewell

Green Bay answered the news of his death on Friday with a statement calling Ditka “one of the fiercest competitors in NFL history” and crediting him with shaping the intensity of a series the Packers describe as the oldest in professional football. The Packers were expected to mark his passing before kickoff with a moment of silence; the exact form of the pregame tribute had not been announced by the team.

Chicago had not said in advance how it would honor him. The franchise has added memorial patches to its uniforms after the deaths of Walter Payton and Dick Butkus, and it is not yet known whether a jersey patch will follow for Ditka in later weeks.

Why 89 matters in Chicago

The Bears drafted Ditka fifth overall in 1961. He was named Rookie of the Year, went to several Pro Bowls and won the 1963 NFL Championship, redefining the tight end as a receiving threat. As head coach he led the 1985 Bears to the Super Bowl XX title, and he was later enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. The Bears retired No. 89 in 2013 and said at the time it would be the last number they retire. Read our full obituary of Mike Ditka.

What comes next

Ben Johnson’s Bears bring a 3-1 record into the 1 p.m. EDT kickoff against the 2-2 Packers (Game Center). Chicago visits the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, October 18, at 1 p.m. EDT, while Green Bay hosts the Dallas Cowboys that night at 8:20 p.m. EDT. Follow both clubs on the Bears team page and the Packers team page.