As a busy start to the NFL's new league year reaches the end of its first-week wave, the Vikings' NFC North brethren have been aggressive under new management in Detroit, typically quiet in Green Bay and, of course, forever frustrated at quarterback in Chicago.
Offseason approaches of Vikings' NFC North brethren run the gamut
On the NFL: They're aggressive in Detroit, quiet in Green Bay, maybe a little lost in Chicago.
By Star Tribune and
Mark Craig
March 20, 2021 at 10:40PM
New Lions General Manager Brad Holmes, the 41-year-old who spent the past eight seasons as the Rams' college scouting director, already has added nine new faces, made a blockbuster trade with his former team, and jump-started a youth movement he hopes will mirror what he experienced in Los Angeles.
In Green Bay, General Manager Brian Gutekunst hasn't made a peep, bringing in no new faces while focusing all of his attention on shaving $24 million off the Packers' salary cap. He's done so without having to restructure Aaron Rodgers' contract, which would push future cap costs on him beyond 2023, when Jordan Love could be the starting quarterback.
And in Chicago, General Manager Ryan Pace had the awkward task of introducing Andy Dalton as the Bears' likely starting quarterback once Pace realized he didn't have the firepower to acquire Russell Wilson from Seattle. Needless to say, a grouchy fan base with considerable scar tissue caused by Pace's many QB whiffs is pessimistic.
Here's a further look around the NFC North:
Lions
Re-signed: DE Romeo Okwara, LS Don Muhlbach.
Departures: QB Matthew Stafford (Rams via trade), KR-PR Jamal Agnew (Jaguars), WR Marvin Jones (Jaguars), K Matt Prater (Cardinals), LB Jarrad Davis (Jets), CB Justin Coleman (Dolphins), LB Reggie Ragland (Giants).
Arrivals: QB Jared Goff (Rams via trade), DT Michael Brockers (Rams via trade), RB Jamaal Williams (Packers), WR Tyrell Williams (Raiders), WR Breshad Perriman (Jets), QB Tim Boyle (Packers), TE Josh Hill (Saints), K Randy Bullock (Bengals), DE Charles Harris (Falcons).
Re-signing Okwara, a 26-year-old edge rusher coming off a career year, was a big win for Holmes. Okwara's 61 total pressures ranked top five among all defensive ends last year. He also had career highs in tackles (44), tackles for loss (11), sacks (10) and quarterback hits (18).
Another quality move was getting Jamaal Williams away from Green Bay to pair with second-year back D'Andre Swift. Both are versatile modern running backs who will team with Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson to give Goff the short-to-intermediate passing options that will help him.
And, boy oh boy, if the 27-year-old Goff recaptures his Pro Bowl years of 2017 and 2018, Holmes will be celebrated. In granting Stafford his trade request, Holmes got first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, a third-rounder this year and Goff.
Holmes also set up another potential big win in a separate trade with the Rams. He traded a seventh-round pick for Brockers, a former first-round pick who's still productive at age 30. Brockers is owed $8 million this year but can be cut after the season with no dead money going toward the 2022 cap.
Packers
Re-signed: RB Aaron Jones.
Departures: C Corey Linsley (Chargers), RB Jamaal Williams (Lions), LB Christian Kirksey (Texans), DE Montravius Adams (Patriots), QB Tim Boyle (Lions).
Arrivals: None.
Yes, the Packers lost reigning first-team All-Pro center Linsley to the Chargers. No, they aren't worried about it.
They're high on 2019 second-round pick Elgton Jenkins. He's a two-year starter at guard. He can play all five positions up front. And the Packers believe his best position is center.
The Packers headed into the 2020 season with four players they wanted to re-sign. Linsley was fourth behind the three who were retained — left tackle David Bakhtiari, defensive tackle Kenny Clark and running back Aaron Jones.
Bears
Re-signed: S Deon Bush.
Departures: DT Roy Robertson-Harris (Jaguars), QB Mitchell Trubisky (Bills), DE Brent Urban (Cowboys), CB Kyle Fuller.
Arrivals: QB Andy Dalton (Cowboys), DE Angelo Blackson (Cardinals), CB Desmond Trufant (Lions).
There's a quote that's taken on a life of its own among disgruntled Bears fans perpetually longing for someone who can identify and acquire a legitimate NFL quarterback.
It was delivered two months ago as team president Ted Phillips was explaining why no heads would roll. The team had limped to the end of the Trubisky era and was committed to letting Pace — the guy who blew the Trubisky pick — give it another go.
"Have we gotten the quarterback situation completely right? No," Phillips said. "Have we won enough games? No. But everything else is there."
Poor Dalton. An average quarterback on his best days walks into this mess with the pressure of making Pace look good.
And poor Pace.
In 2017, he traded four picks to move up one spot and draft Trubisky second overall — eight spots ahead of Patrick Mahomes and 10 spots ahead of Deshaun Watson. That also was the year the Bears signed veteran Mike Glennon, who ended up making $18.5 million for four starts.
Last year, Jacksonville was elated when it unloaded Nick Foles in a trade with the Bears. Foles proved to be an even worse fit than Trubisky.
So, yeah, good luck, Andy and Ryan. It appears you'll need it.
Mark Craig is an NFL and Vikings Insider. Twitter: @markcraigNFL. E-mail: mcraig@startribune.com
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