As NFL free agency swirls, is NFC North the best division in football?
If the Bears won the offseason, it was a pretty close race with the rest of the NFC North.
“This is going to be, once again, the best division in football,” Carmen Vitali said on the latest Bears on the Marquee podcast.
The Bears made a splash in free agency to bolster their offensive and defensive lines, adding star power in center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Still, the rest of the division has made notable additions to their already strong rosters.
“We can’t just look at the Bears with the blinders on,” Mike Norman added on the Bears on the Marquee podcast. “One team that stood out to me so far has been the Minnesota Vikings. They’ve made some nice moves.”
The Vikings added a “game-wrecker” in defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and improved their offensive line with the additions of former Indianapolis Colts teammates Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. They’re trusting 2024 No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy at quarterback after Sam Darnold signed a three-year, $100M deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Green Bay Packers followed suit, signing one of the top free agent guards in Aaron Banks as well as nabbing former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs.
As for the 2024 NFC North Champion Detroit Lions, they re-signed two key defensive players in linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end Marcus Davenport. Their biggest free agency signing has come in the form of cornerback D.J. Reed, who joins from the New York Jets and was considered one of the top options on the market at his position.
[MORE: ESPN NFL analyst believes Bears have Top 10 O-line after moves]
While the rest of the division looks for improvements for 2025, Vitali believes the Bears can “keep pace” within the NFC North.
“I think that this division got better all around,” said Vitali.
NFL free agent contracts can officially be signed starting Wednesday, March 12.
