Packers Free Agent Moves In 2014 | NFC North Trades And Moves

The NFC North was definitely involved in free agency this off season in a major way. Heck, even tightwad Ted got involved. Here is our free agency review for each team.

Minnesota Vikings:

The Vikings were, as usual, the most active team during free agency in this division. In addition to signing a pair of their own free agents, wide receiver Jerome Simpson and defensive end Everson Griffin, the Vikings also added defensive tackle Linval Joseph and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. We like the signing of Linval Joseph. The Vikings run defense, which used to be known as the Williams wall, and was the best in the league, slowly deteriorated over time and was one of the worst in 2013 league-wide. The Vikings needed to address that this off season. Yes, they drafted Sharrif Floyd in the first round in 2013 and are expecting big things from him in 2014, but they needed to do something more. Joseph is a proven run stopper who will fit right in alongside Floyd.

Detroit Lions:

Jim Schwartz was fired for one reason and our in-house guru T.J. Bryce summed it up like this- “I have never, in my lifetime, seen a coach do so little with so much talent at his disposal”. The Lions are talented; there is no doubt about that. But under Schwartz, they underachieved and were poorly disciplined. Entering the off season, they needed to diversify their offense, which as of the end of last season, was a one-trick pony. As a result, the Lions went out and signed free agent wide receiver Golden Tate. Breath Packers fans. In out, in out, there you go. As Luke Skywalker says, let go of the hate. Tate will certainly help the Lions achieve their goal of diversifying this offense.

Chicago Bears:

One thing is for certain, the Bears are always entertaining this time of year. The Bears cut loose defensive end Julius Peppers after Peppers had what was his worst season as a pro citing age and contract, and replaced him with Lamarr Houston. So what do they do in addition? They add aging pass rusher Jared Allen on a four year contract. They also had a need at safety, and filled it by adding Packers castoff M.D. Jennings, who graded out as the worst safety in the league last year. As we said, the Bears are entertaining this time of year.

Green Bay Packers:

The Packers, as usual, devoted a lot of time re-signing their own players. The big one was cornerback Sam Shields. With each passing day and each new contract being handed out, Shields’s contract is looking better and better. Thompson also broke trend by adding Julius Peppers to the team, and the early reports are that Peppers will play the “elephant position” for the Packers. More on this and what we think Peppers will bring to the Packers later on this off season.