The Vikings were reigning rulers of the NFC North when the league year opened in early March a year ago.
As another league year commenced this week, Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was asked to assess a division that has been turned upside down with the Lions and Packers passing the Vikings and the Bears pulling even.
“You want to compete at the highest level and against the best,” he said. “I think this division has great coaches, great general managers. I have a lot of respect for my counterparts in this division, so I’m not surprised that they’ve built the teams they’ve built.
“But when you want to beat somebody, you got to first appreciate where they are. They’ve built some great teams, but we’re going to put one together on the field, and we’re going to go out and see what happens.”
Here’s a look around the division:
It’s hard not to really like what’s happening in Chicago, where everything the Bears are doing now should set them up to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and possibly the best defensive player in the draft at No. 9.
After losing receiver Darnell Mooney to Atlanta, the Bears improved themselves at the position by sending a fourth-round pick to the Chargers for Keenan Allen, giving the Bears Allen and DJ Moore at receiver … and the Vikings even further cause for alarm at cornerback.
Allen, who has been reunited with receivers coach Chris Beatty under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, wouldn’t take a pay cut in Los Angeles, and who could blame him? He had a career-high 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games last year. In a win over the Vikings, he had 18 easy catches on 20 targets for 215 yards.
Shifty running back D’Andre Swift, 25, was signed from Philadelphia after his first 1,000-yard season and Pro Bowl selection. He can be a difference-maker.
Defensively, the Bears’ best move was re-signing cornerback Jaylon Johnson, the excellent young player they franchised. They further boosted their secondary by adding two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.
On Saturday, the Bears dealt quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers, according to multiple media reports, rather than waiting until closer to the NFL draft or near the deadline in October to make a trade.
Green Bay took a couple of uncharacteristically big swings in free agency, handing out the most lucrative deals at safety (Xavier McKinney) and running back (Josh Jacobs). McKinney got four years, $67 million with $23 million guaranteed. Jacobs got four years, $48 million with $12.5 million guaranteed.
McKinney, 24, had a career-high 116 tackles and three interceptions in 17 starts with the Giants last season. He was the top priority for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who bid adieu to safeties Darnell Savage (Jacksonville) and Jonathan Owens (Chicago).
Jacobs, 26, is three years younger than his predecessor, Aaron Jones, who left Green Bay for the Vikings after rejecting a one-year, $6 million offer that was half what Jacobs will average over four years.
Jacobs dealt with injuries in 2023, playing only 13 games and finishing with 805 yards rushing and a 3.5-yard average. However, he also missed only three games in three seasons before that. He also had three 1,000-yard seasons in his first four years, including a league-high 1,653 two years ago.
The Packers also re-signed bowling-ball back AJ Dillon, Jones’ tag-team partner, to help Jacobs.
Lions
How bizarro are things in the NFC North? So bizarro that Detroit isn’t firing people. Instead, the reigning division champs and conference finalist extended the contracts of coach Dan Campbell and General Manager Brad Holmes through the 2027 season.
The Lions lost a valuable piece to one of the league’s best offensive lines when the Rams gave guard Jonah Jackson $51 million over three years with $34 million guaranteed.
Holmes, however, has a keen eye for untapped talent and believes he has the right next man up. He also made sure not to lose his other guard when he re-signed Graham Glasgow.
The Lions also were aggressive at cornerback, where they signed the Raiders’ 25-year-old Amik Robertson and traded for Buccaneers seventh-year pro Carlton Davis. The Lions also got sixth-round picks this year and next year, while Tampa Bay got a third-rounder.
Davis is one of the defensive standouts who helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl during the 2020 season. He’s also motivated by heading into a contract year.
Up front defensively, the Lions got one of the better defensive tackles in free agency in Cincinnati’s D.J. Reader. He tore a quad muscle near the end of last season but is expected to bounce back.
Also high on the Lions’ to-do list is Jared Goff’s contract, which expires after this season.
Imagine what Goff must be feeling he’s worth after seeing Kirk Cousins fleece the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.
Cousins is 35, is coming off a major injury and has one career playoff victory. Goff is 29 and healthy, and he’s been to a Super Bowl with the Rams and the NFC title game with the now-formerly longtime laughingstock Lions.
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