NFC North Check-In: How Does Kyler Murray Impact Vikings' Outlook?

It's shaping up to be another highly competitive year in the NFC North. Last season, all four teams finished with a winning record. The Bears surged to 11 wins and their first division title since 2018, while the other three teams wound up with nine wins. One year earlier, the Lions, Vikings, and Packers combined for a whopping 40 victories in the regular season.

It's a bloodbath of a division that might only be more hotly contested in 2026. With Kyler Murray, the Vikings now feel like they have the quarterback to compete with Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff. They clearly had the best defense in the North last season, as was best shown in their 6-takeaway Christmas Day win over the Lions.

Two weeks into free agency, let's take a look at each team in the division and see what kind of moves they've made. The teams will be ordered by last season's finish.

Chicago Bears

Notable additions: S Coby Bryant, LB Devin Bush, DT Neville Gallimore, C Garrett Bradbury, WR Kalif Raymond, LB Jack Sanborn, DT Kentavius Street, S Cam Lewis
Notable losses: WR D.J. Moore, S Kevin Byard, S Jaquan Brisker, C Drew Dalman, CB Nahshon Wright, LB Tremaine Edmunds, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S Jonathan Owens
Top-100 draft picks: 4, led by No. 25 overall

The defending NFC North champions have had a busy offseason after falling to the Rams in overtime in the divisional round. They've had a ton of roster churn in their secondary specifically, with three starters departing in Byard, Brisker, and Wright. Bryant, their top free agent addition, is a solid replacement at safety, but they still have another hole there. They traded Moore to the Bills, meaning their passing game is now focused around Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden III. And with Dalman surprisingly retiring, Chicago pivoted by acquiring Bradbury from the Patriots.

The Bears won't be favored to repeat as division champs, but this looks like a solid team once again. Hitting on their four top-100 picks will be key. Defensive line looms as a key need.

Green Bay Packers

Matt LaFleur | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Notable additions: DT Javon Hargrave, LB Zaire Franklin, CB Benjamin St-Juste, WR Skyy Moore, QB Desmond Ridder
Notable losses: QB Malik Willis, DE Rashan Gary, LB Quay Walker, OL Elgton Jenkins, WR Romeo Doubs, OT Rasheed Walker, DE Kingsley Enagbare, CB Nate Hobbs, DT Colby Wooden, RB Emanuel Wilson, CB Trevon Diggs
Top-100 draft picks: 2, led by No. 52 overall

The Packers have not have a particularly busy offseason in terms of additions, with far more notable players falling into the departures category. Willis got paid in free agency by the Dolphins, as did Doubs by the Patriots and Quay Walker by the Raiders. Gary was traded to the Cowboys. Hargrave and Franklin are Green Bay's most significant newcomers so far, and center Sean Rhyan was a standout re-signing. They also don't have a first-round pick due to the Micah Parsons trade.

Ultimately, the Packers have Love and Josh Jacobs and some solid wide receivers and a quality secondary, which gives them a chance to be good. But Parsons and Tucker Kraft, two of their best players, are rehabbing ACL tears, and both the offensive and defensive lines look a little suspect. There's a new defensive coordinator in place, with Jonathan Gannon replacing new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley. It's hard to know exactly what to make of this Green Bay team at the moment.

Minnesota Vikings

Kevin O'Connell | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Notable additions: QB Kyler Murray, CB James Pierre, P Johnny Hekker, OT Ryan Van Demark
Notable losses: C Ryan Kelly, WR Jalen Nailor, DT Javon Hargrave, DT Jonathan Allen, P Ryan Wright, RB Ty Chandler
Top-100 draft picks: 4, led by No. 18 overall

The Vikings are another team having a quiet offseason, outside of one rather significant splash. It's hard to find a more impactful addition across the division — and arguably the league — than getting Murray on a one-year, league minimum ($1.3 million) contract. He projects as a massive upgrade from J.J. McCarthy at football's most important position. Pierre is also a nice depth pickup at corner, and they retained players like Aaron Jones and Eric Wilson. As for departures, Nailor always seemed likely to get paid. And with the Vikings in a difficult salary cap spot, they elected to move on from both Hargrave and Allen after just one year. They also have a new punter in Hekker.

This offseason has been about resetting the Vikings' books a bit while still aiming to contend. Their lack of a traditional general manager after firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is fairly fascinating. Hitting on draft picks is going to be extremely important. They need a new center after Kelly's retirement. DT, RB, CB, and S also loom as needs, with safety somewhat hinging on whether or not Harrison Smith comes back for one more season. Overall, with Murray joining a talented roster and Brian Flores still around, it's easy to imagine the Vikings bouncing back this year.

Detroit Lions

Notable additions: C Cade Mays, RB Isiah Pacheco, QB Teddy Bridgewater, OT Larry Borom, DE D.J. Wonnum, DE Payton Turner, WR Greg Dortch, LB Damone Clark, CB Roger McCreary, TE Tyler Conklin, S Christian Izien
Notable losses: RB David Montgomery, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, LB Alex Anzalone, C Graham Glasgow, OT Taylor Decker, DE Josh Paschal, WR Tim Patrick, WR Kalif Raymond, QB Kyle Allen, DT Roy Lopez
Top-100 draft picks: 2, led by No. 17 overall

Despite (narrowly) finishing in last place in 2025, the Lions are the current betting favorites to win the division in '26, which would give them three titles in four years. There's been quite a bit of roster turnover for GM Brad Holmes. Montgomery was traded to the Texans, with Pacheco coming in to replace him as Jahmyr Gibbs' backfield partner. Muhammad and Anzalone were key pieces of Detroit's defense, while Glasgow and Decker were longtime starters on the offensive line. The biggest addition is Mays, who replaces Glasgow at center. Many of Detroit's other pickups are of the depth variety, including a few former Vikings in Bridgewater, Wonnum, and Conklin.

The Lions pick one spot before the Vikings in Round 1 (17th) and one spot after the Vikings in round 2 (50th), but they don't have a third-round pick. What they do have is an established core led by Goff, Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, and Kerby Joseph. There are question marks, including the addition of Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator, but there's also plenty of talent.

Final thoughts

It's not too difficult to make the case for any of the four teams winning the division in 2026, which feels fitting. The Lions and Packers are the two betting favorites, which might be disrespectful to the Bears and what they achieved last season under Ben Johnson. The Vikings also can't be written off after landing Murray, who could help revive their offense and complement an elite defense. While there's still a long way to go until the season arrives, this should be fun to watch unfold.