The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys just struck the wildest trade for a defensive player you will likely ever see in the NFL, sending superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay.
The trade is obviously going to have a massive ripple effect for the entire NFL, but every NFC North team is dreading the idea of having to play against Parsons twice a year now. The Packers, already with one of the best rosters in the NFL (and youngest) look poised to potentially take over the NFC North in the very near future.
Are they already the best team in the division even after finishing in 3rd place last year? We're going to update our NFC North power rankings now that Parsons is in the division.
NFL Power Rankings: Micah Parsons shakes up NFC North in 2025
4. Chicago Bears
Objectively speaking, the Bears simultaneously have the worst roster in the NFC North and could still be a breakthrough 10-win team. The NFC North is loaded right now.
But the Bears now had really better hope that Caleb Williams is the game changer they used the #1 overall pick in the draft on last year. Williams taking the next step this year under Ben Johnson is mission critical for this team, and he showed some signs in the preseason of growth in his game. If Williams is making his layups, the Bears are going to be a threat, even as the 4th-best roster in the division.
Their defense is underrated but question marks remain over whether or not Williams can take that step and if their offensive line can hold up.
3. Minnesota Vikings
This is a really tough one, because the Minnesota Vikings obviously won a whopping 14 games last year. And by most accounts, they got better in the 2025 offseason.
However, there are some big "ifs" for the Vikings right now, starting with quarterback JJ McCarthy. McCarthy is talented, poised, charismatic, and athletic, but is he going to be able to quickly adapt to the NFL when the regular season gets going? McCarthy was a gamer for Michigan and showed he's got ice in his veins in clutch moments, but that was already two years ago. He missed all of last season due to injury, which further complicates the projection for this season.
I still believe the Vikings have a good enough roster to win 11 or more games, but if McCarthy is turning the ball over or struggling, the Vikings will take one step back before they can take two forward.
2. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions won 15 games last season, but they weren't able to capitalize on their regular season success because of the barrage of injuries this team dealt with over the course of the season.
And the bad injury news has already started in 2025.
The Lions are replacing their coordinators on both sides of the ball, which is a huge deal for them. They have so much talent on their roster and yet some key losses on the offensive line this offseason have been largely overlooked because of their outstanding skill position talent.
The Lions are still good enough to win 12 or more games this season, but if the injuries start piling up, it's going to be a tough pill to swallow knowing they have to go back to the drawing board in the 2026 offseason. I think what we've seen from the Lions this offseason is enough to take them out of legitimate Super Bowl contention for this year, but we'll see.
1. Green Bay Packers
The Packers have the youngest roster in the league, and they just added a 26-year-old superstar pass rusher to the mix. All offseason, we've talked about the cornerback position being a question mark for the Packers, but that position group kind of just overshadowed their edge rusher group, which has been underwhelming in recent years.
Jeff Hafley had these guys flying around last year in his first year as Packers defensive coordinator, and now he's got the guy who led the NFL in pressures since he came into the league in 2021.
Parsons is a difference maker unlike any other the Packers -- or any team -- could realistically expect to add in a given year, and even giving up Kenny Clark to get this deal done, the Packers aren't going to miss any draft picks in future years. They've now got a dominant force, a guy who is good for 12 sacks (or more) per year, coming off the edge. That means more possessions for Jordan Love and the loaded Green Bay offense. I think they're going to win 14 games after making the blockbuster deal to land Parsons.