The best and riskiest moves of the NFC North offseasons

Taking a closer look at the moves from the Vikings' division foes

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By Matthew Coller

We have officially reached the stage of the offseason where we can take a deep breath and see what everything looks like now that the dust has settled. So why don’t we put the NFC North’s moves under a microscope and compare each team’s moves through the lens of their highest percentage plays and their biggest swings…

Savviest moves

Vikings trade for Jordan Mason

In a year where the free agency crop was very underwhelming — the best options were Rico Dowdle, NaJee Harris, Khalil Herbert and Miles Sanders — the Vikings were able to acquire a runner who averaged 5.2 yards per carry for the steep price of a pick swap and a 2026 sixth-rounder. They signed Mason to a new two-year contract worth $10.5 million. Mason is 26 years old and hardly has any milage on his body after sitting behind Christian McCaffrey until last year. He gives the Vikings another option outside of Aaron Jones, particularly in short-yardage, and allows Jones to be better rested rather than carrying the ball 255 times like he did last year.

Vikings sign Ryan Kelly

There is a case for this move to belong in the “risky” category because Kelly has battled injuries recently but if we base the deal on his performance and the price tag, it certainly belongs as a savvy move. Kelly was the fourth highest graded pass blocking center by PFF last year, allowing just 11 QB pressures in 324 pass blocking reps. Add that with the fact he will be using his near decade of NFL experience to lead a first-year starting quarterback and you have the potential for him being one of the most valuable centers in the league. The price tag? A $5.5 million cap hit in 2025 and no dead cap hit for moving on after this year if it doesn’t work out.

Bears trading for Joe Thuney

The former Patriot and Chief may be on the wrong side of 30 but the man can still play football at an extremely high level. Last year Thuney ranked as the second best pass blocking guard in the NFL and ranked 16th in run blocking. He has not had a season in which he graded below 73 (which is still above average) since 2016. Thuney isn’t just a great player, he’s durable, playing more than 950 snaps in every single season of his long career. The strange thing is how he was available for a fourth-round pick, especially with only one year left on his contract.

Bears draft Luther Burden

It might have been risky if the Bears had gone all-in on Burden with their first-round pick but grabbing him in the second when most prognosticators had the Missouri standout as a mid-first rounder is potentially one of the best moves of the entire draft. Burden, who is outstanding with the ball in his hands, has a chance to fit into Chicago’s receiving core as a weapon rather than having to be the centerpiece of the group. They already have DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and drafted Colston Loveland in the first round. Quarterback Caleb Williams should be able to get the ball out of his hands quickly to Burden and let him make plays, something the Bears did not have last year.

Lions keep Levi Onwuzurike

Make it make sense, NFL. The Lions’ defensive tackle signed a one-year contract that was originally reported as $5 million but only carries a $4.2 million cap hit for 2025. That’s a stunning number when the league was in search of more players who can create interior pressure. Last year Onwuzurike played 645 snaps and had 45 QB pressures, tied with Jeffrey Simmons and Alim McNeill. If the Lions D-line stays healthy, they are going to be a force.

Lions keep Tim Patrick

Last year Detroit saw Jameson Williams emerge as a serious weapon, giving them another layer to an already great receiving corps led by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. The cherry on top last year was Tim Patrick, who caught 33 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns. While that isn’t going to break any records, Patrick is a big (6-foot-4) capable veteran receiver with good hands and enough ability to make the defense have to account for him. Getting him back for $2.5 million is a steal (if he remains healthy).

Packers keep Jaire Alexander

Green Bay did so little to their roster this offseason that keeping a player who was already under contract (but seemingly unhappy) is a plus move. Over the last two years, Alexander has been banged up and hasn’t been on the field enough to make the same type of impact as he did in previous years, however, when he has been playing, he’s still been good. Last year Alexander graded 78.3 (out of 100) by PFF and allowed just a 79.9 quarterback rating on throws into his coverage. If he can get back to full health and play even two-thirds of Green Bay’s games, the two-time Pro Bowler can still give them more value than most players they would have signed in free agency or drafted.

Disclaimer: The Pack might still trade Alexander.

Packers draft multiple wide receivers

Aaron Rodgers had to be seething as he watched the Packers’ draft play out (unless he was in the middle of a darkness retreat). For years he wanted them to draft wide receivers high, including Justin Jefferson, and they instead elected to take second-rounders or later and pray. Outside of Jayden Reed, those prayers hadn’t really been answered recently, so Green Bay decided to go all in with Matthew Golden in the first round and then playmaker Savion Williams in the third. If either draft pick contributes right away, the Packers will have a more dangerous set of receiving options than in either of Jordan Love’s first two years at QB.

Riskiest moves

Vikings do not franchise tag Sam Darnold

The Vikings not tagging Darnold can be two things at once: 1) the right move 2) risky. How many instances in NFL history have there been of a teams moving on from a 35-touchdown, 14-win quarterback? It’s safe to assume not many because most teams that have that much success run back the whole operation and give it another shot. Of course, most of those teams do not have the 10th overall draft pick QB who they saw thrive the previous year in training camp and preseason like the Vikings. Still they would have had a baseline of quarterback play with Darnold that they could have counted on. Now they enter the complete unknown.

Of course, that unknown includes a huge amount of money spent to beef up the rest of the roster in the same way other teams like the 49ers and Eagles have done to reach the Super Bowl. No risk-it, no biscuit.

Vikings sign Jonathan Allen

If Allen is the 2022 version, the Vikings’ defensive line (and OLBs) is going to be the best unit in the NFL. In ‘22, he was the 10th best graded starting DT in the league and posted the 10th most QB pressures. But over the last two years those numbers haven’t reached the same level as he rated 47th of 73 in 2023 (still with the 14th most pressures) and then last year missed a large portion of the season due to injury.

Allen still showed what he could do in the Divisional Round game against the Lions last year when he racked up seven pressures on Jared Goff. It’s very plausible that under the right circumstances with Brian Flores’s defense that he can get back to his old self. But if he doesn’t, the Vikings are pretty much stuck with a huge cap hit ($21.6 million) in 2026.

Bears trade for Jonah Jackson

You can understand why new Bears head coach Ben Johnson would want Jackson in Chicago. While he was a Lion, they emerged as one of the better offensive lines in the NFL and his size/physicality was a big part of that. But he played just under 800 snaps in 2023 and missed 13 games in 2024. When he was playing, the numbers were underwhelming, particularly in pass protection. He has never graded above a 63.0 in pass pro and had a mediocre 59.3 grade last year.

If Jackson is part of a beastly run-blocking offensive line, then some sacrifice can be made in terms of his pass protection and it will still be worth the risk. If the injuries have piled up and he doesn’t have the same impact this time around, Chicago will be stuck with a big cap hit next year.

Bears sign Grady Jarrett