Where Packers Rank in NFC North After Free Agency

The Green Bay Packers haven’t won the NFC North since 2021. During the four succeeding seasons, the Minnesota Vikings (2022), Detroit Lions (2023 and 2024) and Chicago Bears (2025) have won at least one division title.

The bad news for the Packers is they haven’t done much in free agency to improve. Plus, they don’t have a first-round pick.

The good news is, with one potentially huge exception, the other teams didn’t do much to improve in free agency, either.

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Here’s a closer look. Free-agent spending is from OverTheCap.com and is based on dollars spent on signings and re-signings since the Super Bowl. Draft capital is from Tankathon.

State of the Packers

Free agent spending: 25th.

Key additions: DT Javon Hargrave, LB Zaire Franklin, WR Skyy Moore, CB Benjamin St-Juste.

Key subtractions: QB Malik Willis, LT Rasheed Walker, LB Quay Walker, DE Rashan Gary, DE Kingsley Enagbare, DT Colby Wooden, CB Nate Hobbs.

Draft capital: 29th; two top-100 picks.

Better or worse?: The Packers are not obviously better. It takes a lot of projection to argue that they have improved.

Will Jordan Morgan be a better left tackle than Rasheed Walker? Will Sean Rhyan in his second year at center and Anthony Belton in his second year at right guard be considerably better? Will aging Zaire Franklin be better than never-quite-the-sum-of-his-parts Quay Walker? Will the Packers get better play on the edge without Gary and Enagbare? Will Jonathan Gannon and Cam Achord direct a better defense and special teams than Jeff Hafley and Rich Bisaccia?

State of the Bears

Free agent spending: 15th.

Key additions: LB Devin Bush, S Coby Bryant, DT Neville Gallimore, C Garrett Bradbury, WR Kalif Raymond.

Key subtractions: C Drew Dalman, WR D.J. Moore, LB Tremaine Edmunds, CB Nahshon Wright, S Kevin Byard, S Jaquan Brisker, DT Andrew Billings.

Draft capital: 22nd; four top-100 picks.

Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright (26) breaks up the pass to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Better or worse?: The Bears are betting that Bryant is better than Byard, that Bush is better than Edmunds and that Gallimore is better than Billings, and that improvement from within will handle the trade of Moore and the loss of Wright.

We’ll see if they win that bet. Edmunds, Byard and Wright last season combined to intercept 16 passes, force two fumbles and recover four fumbles. Assuming new players can create similar production would be foolish. Nonetheless, the pairing of Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and the presence of three top-60 draft picks should help the Bears continue their rise.

State of the Vikings

Free agent spending: 32nd.

Key additions: QB Kyler Murray, OT Ryan Van Demark, CB James Pierre, P Johnny Hekker.

Key subtractions: DT Javon Hargrave, DT Jonathan Allen, WR Jalen Nailor.

Draft capital: 17th; four top-100 picks.

Better or worse: The Vikings might be the one team that’s clearly better in the NFC North. Not that Kyler Murray is a great quarterback, but he’s a sizable upgrade over J.J. McCarthy. During three seasons with Jonathan Gannnon, Murray went 13-17 as a starter with 46 total touchdowns (37 passing, nine rushing) and 19 interceptions. In games he did not start, the Cardinals went 2-19. So, yeah, he makes a difference.

State of the Lions

Free agent spending: 30th

Key additions: C Cade Mays, DE Payton Turner, RT Larry Borom, C Juice Scruggs.

Key subtractions: LT Taylor Decker, C Graham Glasgow, RB David Montgomery, DT Roy Lopez, CB Amik Robertson, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, LB Alex Anzalone, WR Kalif Raymond.

Draft capital: 18th; two top-100 picks.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) runs past Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Better or worse: The Lions, when they flirted with Super Bowl runs, were renowned for their physicality. However, as SI.com’s Conor Orr wrote in his power rankings, “Detroit is desperately attempting to hang onto difficult-to-replicate tenants: a physical, game-altering offensive line and a fearless, take-on-anyone secondary.” The high-end talent, though, remains.

Our Ranking of NFC North

Our rankings: 1, Chicago; 2, Minnesota; 3, Green Bay; 4, Detroit.

Why?: Last season, the Bears won the division with an 11-6 record, the Packers finished second at 9-7-1 and the Vikings and Lions were 9-8.

The Bears should remain on top. They have a difference-making coach, an ascending quarterback who is surrounded by young playmakers, and the draft capital to continue their climb.

The presence of Murray to partner with a powerhouse defense should be worth at least one or two wins to get through the nine-win logjam.

That leaves it to Green Bay and Detroit to fight for third place (and a potential playoff berth) or avoid last place. The Packers swept the Lions last season. While Green Bay might not be better, Detroit has taken a step back, though it will have the best high-end talent on the field in most games so can’t be counted out.

Other Rankings of NFC North

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks forces Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to throw an interception. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

SI.com rankings: 1, Chicago; 2, Green Bay; 3, Detroit; 4, Minnesota.

NFL.com rankings: 1, Chicago; 2, Green Bay; 3, Detroit; 4, Minnesota.

Consensus NFL power rankings: 1, Green Bay; T-2, Chicago; T-2, Detroit; 4, Minnesota.

Sportsbook rankings: NFC North odds at FanDuel Sportsbook – 1, Detroit; 2, Green Bay; 3, Chicago; 4, Minnesota.

The Wild Card for Packers

Of course, the big additions for the Packers aren’t the likes of Hargrave and Franklin. They’ll be the returns of tight end Tucker Kraft, perhaps in time for Week 1, and superstar Micah Parsons, perhaps after a few games.

The key to everything won’t be when they return to the lineup. It’ll be when they return to something close to peak form.

You could argue no team will have two bigger “additions” to the roster than the Packers with Parsons and Kraft, who are elite, game-changing players. Will they be game-wreckers by midseason? For the stretch run? And can the Packers hang in there until they are all the way back? A favorable early-season schedule, and maybe even an early bye, would help.

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