List of Top 10 NFL Offseasons Shows Best Division Got Even Better

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFC North rose to juggernaut status last season – at least until the playoffs started. What goes up, must go down, the saying goes, though that might not happen this season.

At CBS Sports, Josh Edwards ranked the top 10 NFL offseasons. The Chicago Bears were No. 1. Again. The Minnesota Vikings were No. 3. The Green Bay Packers were in the running for No. 10, though that spot ultimately went to the Cleveland Browns.

“Green Bay did not make many moves beyond the addition of first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden,” Edwards wrote.

Last season, the Detroit Lions won the NFC North with a 15-2 record. Even with most of the starting lineup on defense sidelined by injuries, they won the division and earned the No. 1 seed.

The Lions’ improvement will come from within because Aidan Hutchinson and the defense should be better simply by being healthy. However, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the new coach of the Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the new coach of the Jets. Plus, there are significant questions on their offensive line after center Frank Ragnow retired, meaning they’ll be breaking in two new starters up front.

If the Lions are sort of spinning their wheels after back-to-back NFC North titles, the Vikings and Bears stepped on the gas.

The Vikings were 14-2 headed into Week 18 at Detroit. However, after an MVP-caliber sort of season, quarterback Sam Darnold went 18-for-41 in a blowout loss to the Lions, then was 25-of-40 but sacked nine times in a blowout loss to the Rams in the playoffs.

Minnesota let Darnold sign with the Seahawks in free agency and handed the baton to last year’s first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy.

After the playoff debacle, the Vikings signed center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries in free agency and used their first-round pick on Donovan Jackson.

However: “Potentially the biggest boon of the entire operation was the retention of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose unit exceeded expectations a year ago,” Edwards wrote. “He is now graced with proven veterans Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, which allows last year's starters to serve in more suitable roles.”

Thirty down, sixty to go in our annual #Packers roster rankings. The goal is you learn a little something about everyone on the team before training camp begins.https://t.co/4eh14FrPBb
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 23, 2025

The Bears “won” the offseason last year, too, but finished 5-12 after a 4-2 start, though they snapped their 10-game losing streak by beating the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 18.

Chicago “ate its vegetables by upgrading the offensive line through the acquisitions of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson,” Edwards wrote. “The defensive line's floor should be elevated with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo joining the cause. Pass-catchers Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland were added in the draft.”

If Johnson can bring the best out of last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, Chicago could make some noise in a division in which the four teams combined for the best winning percentage and best point differential in NFL history.

Added together, it could be another wild season in the NFC North. The Lions won’t have much margin for error after needing last year’s division sweep to win the North. If McCarthy and Williams live up to the hype and Packers quarterback Jordan Love stays healthy and plays with more consistency, it’s possible all four teams will finish with winning records in 2025.

At the end of last season, general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke of the need for the team to ratchet up its sense of urgency. The Packers went 11-6 last season but weren’t even close to contending. With Detroit coming to Green Bay for a Week 1 showdown, followed by Washington in Week 2, the Packers will have to start fast.

Starting fast means starting now.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas for one second in this league, because if you do, people are going to bypass you,” coach Matt LaFleur said at the end of minicamp. “We’ve got to keep pushing. These guys, they shoulder most of that responsibility in regards to how they go about training and taking care of their bodies and doing the things that they need to do to get ready to go when we get back here for the start of camp.”

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