The NFC North Division is in the midst of an arms race, with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears all expected to make significant personnel moves in either free agency or the NFL draft. As of Monday, Feb. 10, the Green Bay Packers have more over $44.5 million in 2025 salary cap space, ranking 13th in the NFL but trailing all three divisional opponents by a large margin. The Packers may have a tradeable secondary piece in cornerback Jaire Alexander, but they will also need to replace him and cornerback Eric Stokes in a defensive backfield that has suffered with injuries and performance over the last two seasons.
But Green Bay must improve more than just its secondary this offseason if it intends to recapture the division from Detroit while also fending off a Minnesota team that won 14 games in 2024. The Packers also need to figure out how to put more pressure on rival quarterbacks and cause more mayhem in the process.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, if the Las Vegas Raiders fully commit to a rebuild this summer, Green Bay could make a trade for standout defensive end Maxx Crosby.
“Crosby wants to win and contribute significantly to the team’s success. While hiring Super Bowl winner Pete Carroll was a step toward stability, the Raiders still lack a franchise quarterback and have a long way to go before fielding a competitive team,” Rapoport and Pelissero wrote on Sunday, Feb. 9. “Trading Crosby for a slew of selections would be one way to speed up the process, and Crosby might embrace the change, especially if it’s to a playoff team where he knows people (e.g., Green Bay). Crosby has two years and around $44 million remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2022. Crosby got a contract worth $94 million, which is a bargain based on
on his regular high-quality production. Crosby, 27, has 59.5 sacks and 105 tackles for loss in his six-year career (95 games). He has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons after coming second in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2019.
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