NFC North offseasons ranked from worst to best
- Which NFC North team had the best offseason?
- Packers traded Aaron Rodgers
- Lions, Bears make significant improvements
What an eventful offseason for the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers, the Chicago Bears spent big, and the Detroit Lions made significant moves in an attempt to take the division title.
With training camps kicking off around the league, now is the perfect time to review each NFC North team's work from the past few months.
Which team had the most successful offseason in the division? And who had the worst?
4. Minnesota Vikings
Key additions: Marcus Davenport, Byron Murphy, Jordan Addison, Mekhi Blackmon
Key losses: Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Cook, Dalvin Tomlinson, Adam Thielen, Patrick Peterson, Eric Kendricks
Best offseason move: Hiring Brian Flores
There's no doubt that the Vikings made some smart offseason additions. Hiring Brian Flores as defensive coordinator is at the top of the list.
However, Minnesota's offseason is defined by the players it lost. The defending NFC North champions moved on from several core players, including Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen. That's a lot of production to replace.
The Vikings were already destined to regress, having gone 11-0 in one-score games last season. That doesn't happen often. But with so many key players departing, Minnesota's hopes of retaining the division crown take a significant hit.
A storyline to watch this summer is Danielle Hunter's future. The Vikings were unable to resolve the contract situation in the offseason. If they trade Hunter, forget about making a playoff push this fall.