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As a whole, the NFC North has had somewhat of a quiet offseason when compared to the other divisions in the conference.
The Bears parted with a few notable players to get under the salary cap limit before the new league year opened in March. The Lions focused on their offensive line, which rarely draws headline-grabbing attention. And the Packers didn’t have a first-round pick, waiting until the No. 52 selection to be on the clock.
Probably the most notable move within the division was the Vikings’ signing of Kyler Murray to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback job. But the Vikings were also forced to part with talented players to save against the cap—it helped that the team is only paying Murray $1.3 million, since the Cardinals are still on the hook for $36.8 million of Murray’s 2026 salary.
Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that the NFC North wasn’t very active this offseason, with the way all four teams have built their respective rosters in recent seasons. The Bears won the division last year to end the Lions’ two-year reign. The Packers have made the postseason for three consecutive years, and the Vikings won 14 games in 2024. For the most part, all four teams should once again be in the mix for playoff spots.
Let’s take a closer look at what the NFC North did this offseason.
Detroit Lions
Offseason grade: B
Key additions: C Cade Mays, CB Roger McCreary, OT Blake Miller, edge Derrick Moore, RB Isiah Pacheco, edge D.J. Wonnum
Key subtractions: LB Alex Anzalone, OT Taylor Decker, edge Marcus Davenport, OL Graham Glasgow, RB David Montgomery, edge Al-Quadin Muhammad, WR Kalif Raymond, DT D.J. Reader, CB Amik Robertson
After a disappointing 2025, the Lions examined what went wrong on the offensive line, a unit that was viewed as one of the league’s best before what transpired last season.
For starters, it didn’t help that center Frank Ragnow retired a few months before the season—he attempted to make a comeback in November, but was unable to pass his physical. That led to Detroit signing Mays, the former Panthers standout who drastically improved after moving from guard to center two seasons ago. Perhaps Mays’s presence can assist guards Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany, two players with mixed results during their first season as starters.
The revamped offensive line was completed last month when the Lions used their first-round pick on Miller. However, Detroit would be taking a gamble if it decides to move All-Pro Penei Sewell to left tackle to accommodate the rookie, who primarily played on the right side at Clemson.
If this offensive line can regain its mean streak, the rest should work itself out with a loaded offense that still has Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown. But plenty hinges on what new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing designs for this unit, which struggled going from Ben Johnson to John Morton last year.
Coach Dan Campbell decided to retain defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard despite his unit allowing 24.3 points per game and ranking in the bottom half of most major statistical categories. One way to improve this defense is to find more ways to free star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who has needed a running mate for a few years now. Moore, the rookie second-round pick, could be a fast contributor based on the 10 sacks he had last year at Michigan.
On paper, this team is stacked, but the offensive and defensive lines need to be better than last year in order for the Lions to regain top status in the NFC North.
Chicago Bears
Offseason grade: B-
Key additions: C Garrett Bradbury, S Coby Bryant, LB Devin Bush, WR Kalif Raymond, S Dillon Thieneman
Key subtractions: S Jaquan Brisker, S Kevin Byard III, C Drew Dalman, LB Tremaine Edmunds, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, WR DJ Moore
The Bears had plenty of momentum after a surprise run to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, but the offseason started with a few costly departures, including trading Moore to Buffalo and the abrupt retirement of Dalman.
However, Chicago still found a way to turn a weakness into a strength, adding safeties Bryant and Thieneman, two versatile defensive backs who can also contribute at cornerback. Perhaps having the two newcomers will allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to find creative ways to generate pressure after the team recorded only 35 sacks in 2025. Not adding another reliable edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat was probably this team’s biggest failure of the offseason.
Despite the lack of talent on the defensive front, this is still an ascending team, one built around quarterback Caleb Williams, who might be on the cusp of superstardom going into his third season. But there could be an adjustment period without Moore, who made several clutch plays last season. On the other hand, Moore had only 50 catches for 682 yards last season—both career lows—as Williams began to develop more trust in his inexperienced pass catchers.
Rome Odunze, the 2024 first-round pick, will need to develop into a worthy No. 1 option, and Johnson will have to find more ways to get Luther Burden III, last year’s second-round pick, involved in the flow of the offense. But let’s not overlook what could be a breakout Year 2 for tight end Colston Loveland, the ’25 first-round selection.
Outside of improving the secondary, the Bears didn’t have a very active offseason because they needed to become cap-compliant ahead of the new league year. But this team is on the rise with all of its draft hits in recent seasons.
Minnesota Vikings
Offseason grade: B-
Key additions: DT Caleb Banks, LB Jake Golday, WR Jauan Jennings, QB Kyler Murray
Key subtractions: DT Jonathan Allen, edge Jonathan Greenard, DT Javon Hargrave, C Ryan Kelly, WR Jalen Nailor
The Vikings attempted to correct their biggest mistake last year by adding Murray to push McCarthy, who was handed the starting job in 2025 despite his lack of experience. According to reports, there will be a true QB battle this summer, but Murray likely has the advantage due to his highs with the Cardinals and McCarthy’s disastrous results as the starter.
When Murray is at his best, he’s extending plays with his arm and legs. However, that didn’t happen enough in his final years in Arizona primarily because he couldn’t stay healthy, playing more than 11 games in a season only once since 2021. In ’24, when Murray stayed healthy, there appeared to be a disconnect with the coaching staff, which aimed to make Murray more of a pocket passer, leading to mixed results, including 30 sacks taken.
Keeping Murray healthy without taking away what makes him dangerous as a dual-threat quarterback will be the challenge for coach Kevin O’Connell. There could be an opportunity for McCarthy to make this a true competition, but availability is also a concern for the 2024 first-round pick, and McCarthy completed only 57.6% of his passes in his 10 starts last season.
With two inconsistent QB options, it was wise for the Vikings to sign Jennings, a friendly target who helped Brock Purdy establish a rhythm in San Francisco. (Jennings saw at least 90 targets in 2024 and ’25.) Jennings’s presence should provide more downfield opportunities for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Jennings was a late addition, signing with the team on Monday, as a result of the team using its first three draft picks on the defensive side. The focus is on the quarterback battle, but there are a handful of concerns on defense, including the void left by Greenard’s trade to the Eagles. Dallas Turner, the 2024 first-round pick, will need to have a breakout season, and it would go a long way if Banks, this year’s first-rounder, makes a speedy recovery and isn’t affected by breaking his left foot twice in the past year.
There will be plenty of unknowns for the Vikings in 2026.
Green Bay Packers
Offseason grade: C
Key additions: CB Brandon Cisse, LB Zaire Franklin, DT Javon Hargrave, DT Chris McClellan, CB Benjamin St-Juste, QB Tyrod Taylor
Key subtractions: CB Trevon Diggs, WR Romeo Doubs, edge Rashan Gary, OL Elgton Jenkins, LB Quay Walker, WR Dontayvion Wicks, QB Malik Willis, RB Emanuel Wilson, OT Rasheed Walker
The Packers had a quiet offseason, partly because they did not have a first-round pick in April after acquiring star edge rusher Micah Parsons two weeks before the 2025 season opener.
If Parsons is available for Week 1 after sustaining a significant knee injury that cut short his first season in Green Bay, this roster is good enough to contend for the NFC North title. If Parsons is sidelined or needs time to regain his top form, perhaps the team’s decision-makers will regret not making more moves in the offseason.
At the moment, there appears to be a lack of depth behind Parsons after the Packers traded Gary to the Cowboys. Lukas Van Ness, the 2023 first-round pick, will be counted on to do a lot more than he has in his first three seasons, after making only two career starts and generating 8.5 total sacks.
As for a positive, Green Bay improved its numbers on the interior of the defensive line, drafting McClellan in the third round and signing Hargrave, who might be more of a rotational player heading into his age-33 season.
Still, this team hasn’t done better than the No. 7 seed the past three years, and won’t meet the high expectations that were placed once the Parsons deal was executed without the offense making strides under Jordan Love. With Wicks and Doubs gone, the Packers desperately need Matthew Golden, last year’s first-round pick, to brush off a rocky rookie season with only 29 catches for 361 yards and no touchdowns.
It’s now or never for this talent-filled roster to meet its potential.
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GILBERTO MANZANO
Gilberto Manzano is a staff writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated. After starting off as a breaking news writer at NFL.com in 2014, he worked as the Raiders beat reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and covered the Chargers and Rams for the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Daily News. During his time as a combat sports reporter, he was awarded best sports spot story of 2018 by the Nevada Press Association for his coverage of the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov post-fight brawl. Manzano, a first-generation Mexican-American with parents from Nayarit, Mexico, is the cohost of Compas on the Beat, a sports and culture show featuring Mexican-American journalists. He has been a member of the Pro Football Writers of America since 2017.
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