Thursday Cheese Curds: NFC North teams face wide range of questions this offseason

From QB uncertainty to defenses that need fixing to what do to with the #1 overall pick, it should be a fascinating offseason within the division.

This offseason is going to be a fascinating one for the four teams in the NFC North. Each of them faces some major questions, with some of them being more franchise-altering than others.

For the Green Bay Packers, the biggest domino is of course Aaron Rodgers’ decision. Once he makes his call and the Packers know his plan, the rest of their offseason can fall into place. The Chicago Bears, meanwhile, have a big decision to make with the #1 overall pick — do they try to trade it away for a plethora of draft selections and build around Justin Fields, do they sit and take their top player, or do they decide to jettison Fields and grab a quarterback?

The questions facing the Vikings and Lions are less impactful on the overall direction of those organizations, but they are still meaningful. The Vikings need to fix a defense that was abysmal in 2022 and should have cost them more games than it did. The Lions, meanwhile, appear to be on the right track but need to figure out how to maintain their positive momentum from the second half of last season.

Let’s look at a few of these questions in today’s curds as we check in on the Packers’ divisional rivals.

NFL draft No. 1 overall pick trade history: 12 deals since 1967 | ESPN
No team has traded the number one pick since the Rams acquired it from the Titans in 2016 to draft Jared Goff. Will the Bears look to move it or stand pat and grab an elite defensive player like Will Anderson or Jalen Carter?

Vikings DC Brian Flores says he is ‘aggressive by nature’ as he looks to turn Minnesota’s defense around | NFL.com
While the Bears need an influx of talent, Flores will look to turn around the Vikings’ 31st-ranked defense. To give you an idea how flexible he plans to be, Flores answered a question of whether the team will play a 3-4 or 4-3 base by responding “Who are we playing?”

What Packers have and what they need — with or without Aaron Rodgers – ESPN
Here’s one game plan for how the Packers can address the big questions on their roster this offseason.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 72, Georgia TE Darnell Washington | Packers Wire
One key position that the Packers absolutely must address is tight end, and the massive Georgia product could be a ready-made replacement for Marcedes Lewis.

Lions OC Ben Johnson explains why he stayed in Detroit – Pride Of Detroit
The fourth team in the NFC North is keeping most of its brain trust together, holding on to their OC who was a hot name in the coaching carousel over the last month.

New York man planning vacation to Sydney, Australia accidently books flight to Sidney, Montana | FOX 5
Those three-letter airport codes are pretty important.