As the NFL Playoffs continue to roll along prior to the Super Bowl kicking off in early February, the Minnesota Vikings already have their eyes set on the 2022 campaign after their season came to a disappointing conclusion following the regular season.
Next year, Minnesota has its hopes of ending a two-year stretch of failing to reach the postseason and finally stretching their year beyond just the regular season. With a new regime set to take over as head coach and general manager, a fresh start and new voices with the Vikings could be the difference to accomplishing just that.
Another aspect that could work in Minnesota’s favor is a development that could be occurring within the NFC North and with a division rival. Specifically, how the off-season unfolds with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, and if the veteran quarterback ends up leaving the Packers for another team in 2022. If that indeed takes place and Green Bay has a new quarterback under center next season, that could open things up in the division for the Vikings to take advantage of.
Aaron Rodgers Departure Could Open up Division for Minnesota Vikings
Rodgers Future in Green Bay
As we saw leading up to the 2021 season, Rodgers appears to have gone back and forth about if he wants to remain with the Packers moving forward. The future Hall of Famer ultimately returned to Green Bay this year to try and make another run at a Super Bowl, until falling in the NFC Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers that ended the Packers season earlier than expected.
Now with Green Bay’s off-season also underway, Rodgers’ future with the Packers is once again in question. And it’s very possible that we see him take the field for another team beginning in 2022.
If Rodgers does depart from Green Bay, that would obviously impact the Packers and the contender status they hold with him. If he did decide to leave, that would mean Jordan Love would likely take over under center in Green Bay unless the team went out and signed or traded for another quarterback. With the performances we saw from Love this year, he didn’t do a great job in leading the team and that would result in the Packers dropping their Super Bowl contender status.
It would be the worst-case scenario for Green Bay to lose Rodgers, but it could also mean that his close friend and teammate Davante Adams would leave the team as well. As disastrous as that would be for the Packers and their fans, it would be a sigh of relief and a welcomed occurrence for the rest of the NFC North.
What a Rodgers Departure Would Mean for Minnesota
If Rodgers, and perhaps Adams and others, take their talents outside of Green Bay this off-season, that could be a great sign for Minnesota as it pertains to its hopes of contending for the NFC North crown and ultimately returning to the playoffs.
Without Rodgers, the Packers would drop off from the dominance we saw out of them in 2021, likely to the middle of the pack of the NFC and the NFC North. If that did take place, the Vikings would have a prime opportunity to not only rise up the division standings but to take the NFC North title for the first time since 2017.
Outside of Green Bay, the division features the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions, two teams who probably won’t be serious contenders to claim the division crown as soon as 2022. The Bears could make a run at one of the top spots in the NFC North, but the Lions will likely be at the bottom of the four-team division yet again in the new year.
With that said, the Vikings would have a prime chance to return atop the division and it could be right there for the taking if Green Bay drops off somewhat in 2022. The Rodgers situation will be closely watched by everyone in the NFL this off-season, but probably even closer by the Vikings and the rest of the NFC North. Whatever the veteran quarterback decides, it will certainly have a heavy impact on the look of the NFC North moving forward.
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