The Green Bay Packers used to be the gold standard in the NFC North. Since the NFC Central turned into the NFC North in 2002, nobody has won the division more than the Packers — a whopping 12 times.
The changing of the guard began a couple of years ago with the Detroit Lions winning back-to-back division titles. It might have sounded crazy a decade ago, but the Lions are firmly in pole position, with the Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and (theoretically) the Chicago Bears sprinting to keep pace.
So, with everyone chasing the Lions, have the Packers closed the gap this offseason?
It’s hard to argue Green Bay succeeded in free agency to a level that would put them ahead of Detroit. The additions of left guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs will help. Re-signing kicker Brandon McManus was a must. However, none of these moves would convince anyone that the Packers have leapfrogged Detroit.
To be fair, those types of moves don’t always exist on the market, but it’s possible. (See the Philadelphia Eagles signing Saquon Barkley last year.) However, it’s not all about addition — especially in Detroit’s case, we also need to consider subtraction.
Losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching gigs is a major blow to the Lions. John Morton may be a great hire at offensive coordinator to replace Johnson, but it’ll be almost impossible to replicate Johnson’s success.
Detroit led the league with 33.1 points per game last year. Even with almost all of the supporting cast back, the system will have differences from Johnson’s flashy, often creative schemes.
Defensively, Glenn got the absolute best out of his group. Even when injuries battered the Lions, many season-ending, his unit emptied the tank for their coordinator.
Meanwhile, Jeff Hafley is back for Year 2 as defensive coordinator in Green Bay, and Adam Stenavich returns as offensive coordinator.
Detroit’s free-agency extravaganza created plenty of movement. Carlton Davis signed with the New England Patriots, which was a big loss for the Lions. However, they quickly found a replacement — or so they hope — in D.J. Reed.
Like Green Bay, Detroit hasn’t made any splashy deals this offseason. Instead, the Lions have focused on in-house retention by agreeing to deals with 16 of their own guys who were set to hit the market.
If the goal, or at least one of them, is to get back to the top of the division, it’s hard to argue the Packers have done enough on their own to instill confidence. Instead, they appear content on gaining ground with players currently on the roster taking leaps forward and the division not being as powerful as it was in 2024.
Green Bay finished with an 11-6 record a season ago. That would’ve been good enough to win three other divisions.
However, it was good for third place in the NFC North.
It’s not impossible to expect the Packers to get to that mark or better while expecting the Lions to take a minor step back.
Detroit’s schedule highlights how difficult it will be to get to 15-2 again. The Lions’ road schedule features trips to Kansas City, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Rams), and the three other NFC North teams. That’s the cost of finishing in first place.
That suggests that even if Green Bay didn’t radically reorient its trajectory in free agency, the new difficulties Detroit will face could be enough to tip the scales.
The gap between the two sides in head-to-head matchups is a different story.
Detroit losing both coordinators matters. Its brutal road schedule in 2025 matters. What also matters is that the Packers have lost six of seven to the Lions, and players like Amon-Ra St. Brown feel more than comfortable wearing a “Green Bay Sucks” sweatshirt into Lambeau Field. The team once feared on their home turf has seen that advantage erode after losing to all three NFC North rivals at Lambeau Field in 2024.
We can’t forget about Minnesota, either. Chicago will almost certainly be better in 2025. The goal remains the same for all three, though.
Dethrone Detroit.
It’s never been in Green Bay’s makeup to make a panic move or have an offseason littered with high-risk, high-reward moves. This offseason has been no different. Free agency hasn’t been overly reassuring, but surveying the rest of the offseason landscape shows that Green Bay is closing the cap between themselves and the division champs.