Chicago Bears NFC North Rivals: A look at the Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings off-season moves

The Vikings snagged former Houston Texans edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to a 4-year $76 million contract, which meant parting ways with Danielle Hunter, who ironically signed a 2-year contract with the Houston Texans. The Vikings essentially swapped Hunter with Greenard, who is three years younger, and had a breakout season with 12.5 sacks last year. They are banking on him to stay healthy and remain productive.

They also added former Dolphin Andrew Van Ginkel for a 2-year, $20 million deal to replace another edge rusher, DJ Wonnum, who left to sign a 2-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.

They also bolstered their linebacking unit by signing former Houston Texan Blake Cashman to a 3-year, $22.5 million deal. His veteran presence could help Ivan Pace Jr., who had a fantastic rookie season despite being undrafted, to be even more productive next season.

On offense, they added former Packers RB Aaron Jones to a 1-year deal to bolster their running attack that lost Alexander Mattison to free agency. Jones became expendable after the Packers signed former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs. He did miss 6 games last season and will turn 30 later this season. However, Jones was still productive in their playoff games against Dallas and San Francisco. He was always a threat when he played against the Bears. Now, they must prepare to face him twice again next season.

But their notable addition this off-season is the signing of quarterback Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback in 2024. He's a bridge quarterback until the rookie quarterback that they are expected to move up and draft high is ready to take over. If anything, Darnold should be able to offer sage advice based on his experience when he was drafted by the New York Jets 3rd overall in the 2018 draft, and handling adversities.