This offseason has been dominated by the Chicago Bears, and why wouldn't it have been?
For the second-straight offseason, the Bears own the no. 1 pick and came in as one of the teams with the most to spend in free agency.
Justin Fields has been traded. Caleb Williams has all but been drafted to Chicago. Keenan Allen is a Bear. What a wild ride. The Bears are going to be a good football team, and very soon.
How about the rest of the NFC North? It sure looks like it could be a highly-competitive division, for the most part. But, there are some moves that each team has made that should have Bears fans laughing. Let's dive into those a bit.
Packers sign Josh Jacobs to 4-year, $48 million contract
The Packers had one of the better dual-threat backs in football already on the roster, in Aaron Jones. Instead of keeping him around on the last year of his deal, the Packers chose to cut him. This also came after Jones had already agreed to take a pay cut last year.
Green Bay didn't exactly try to save money in the process, either. They went and spent a boatload on Josh Jacobs, who is actually a step down from Jones in terms of overall abilities. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I suppose the Packers can do what they please with their money.
Vikings watch Kirk Cousins leave for Atlanta, sign Sam Darnold
There is only one way Bears fans might not be laughing at the Vikings in the near future, and that's if Minnesota goes up high in the draft to get a top quarterback. If they somehow traded into the top three picks, then all of this is null and void.
But for now, it sure is fun to point and laugh. Minnesota allowed Kirk Cousins to sign in Atlanta and opted to sign Sam Darnold instead. There isn't much to unpack, here. Cousins was a 4,000-yard passer in his sleep. Darnold is a first-round bust who has been relegated to being a career backup. The Vikings aren't going to be very good, and that's fun to say.
Lions sign Marcus Davenport to a 1-year deal
This one isn't as notable, but it's worth mentioning. The Lions finished last season in the bottom half of the league in sacks and have needed a top-tier pass rusher to pair next to Aidan Hutchinson, rather than the multitude of average pass rushers they've put together in that room. It was a position they were deep at last summer, with some tough roster decisions needing to be made.
But, in the end, the Lions only had one real, good pass rusher in Hutchinson. So, what do they do? They go out and sign a former first-round pick who's still getting paid based on a draft pedigree and only one good season back in 2021 (9.0 sacks). Over the last two years, Davenport has a combined 2.5 sacks in 19 games played.