NFC North offseason buzz: Kyler Murray to Minnesota, Lions trade Montgomery, Vikings ship Greenard to Eagles
All four division teams had winning records in 2025. The 2026 offseason has been the most active in the league, with three QB rooms reshuffled and a starting RB swap in Detroit.
The NFC North is the only division in football where all four teams posted a winning record in 2025. The 2026 offseason has reshuffled three of those four rosters in ways that matter. Here's what each team did and what each move signals.
What did Minnesota do?
Added Kyler Murray. The Cardinals couldn't make the cap math work and the Vikings sent a 2027 third-round pick to Arizona to bring Murray in for a competition with J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy is still the projected starter for Week 1 but Murray gives the Vikings a $30 million Plan B with Pro Bowl-caliber play if McCarthy stalls. The Vikings also traded edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia in a 2026 draft-day deal, a move driven by cap constraints after Greenard's 2025 was limited to 12 games and 3 sacks by a shoulder surgery.
What's the buzz on Caleb Williams?
Year three is the make-or-break season. The Bears' 2025 ended in the Wild Card round. Williams was the team's Offensive Player of the Year but his 58 percent completion rate is the lowest among returning starting quarterbacks. Ben Johnson's offense has been installed for a full year now and the Bears added Marvin Mims Jr. and a rookie tight end Sam Roush to upgrade the pass-catching room. The over-under on Williams' completion percentage moving to 63 percent is the single biggest 2026 variable for Chicago.
What's the deal with Jordan Love?
He played the second half of 2025 through a fractured non-throwing hand and still threw for 3,800 yards. The Packers re-set the receiver room around him: Christian Watson healthy, Romeo Doubs extended, and rookie Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona as a deep threat. Green Bay's offense ranked 16th in DVOA in 2025; the team thinks year three with full health pushes Love into top-eight territory.
What did the Lions do?
They traded David Montgomery to Houston and let Graham Glasgow go to save $5.6 million in cap space. Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs return. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing came over from Arizona, where he spent three seasons as OC. The Lions also extended Jack Campbell. The roster reads like a contender's roster, with one position (RB2 behind Gibbs) the only obvious downgrade from 2025.
What's the underrated move?
Detroit's quiet OC hire. Drew Petzing came over from Arizona after three seasons running the Cardinals' offense. He brings designed run-game wrinkles the Lions used in his interview process, plus prior history with Jared Goff from their shared Browns days. The move attracted less coverage than the Greenard or Montgomery trades but may have the largest 2026 effect.
Who's the favorite?
Detroit. DraftKings has the Lions at -110 to win the division, the Packers at +200, the Bears at +500, and the Vikings at +700. Detroit's roster is the deepest. Green Bay has the highest QB ceiling. The Bears have the biggest potential leap if Williams takes a step. Minnesota has the most question marks. All four teams enter 2026 with at least a 25 percent chance of winning the division, the tightest projection of any group in football.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: NFC North: QB buzz, plus underrated, surprising roster moves
- Sports Illustrated: NFC North Report Card 2026
- Chicago Sun-Times: NFC North report: Rivals' moves make Bears seem stable
- Vikings Territory: The rest of the NFC North made some notable moves
Bears & Lions betting odds
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