non-Vikings NFL off season news

[gunnarthor]

2 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I don't remember any single division in the NFL being as strong as the North is this year in my entire memory of being an NFL fan.  (At least by perception before Week 1 hits)

I don't remember any specific year but when I was a kid, from 1986-1995, three different teams in the NFC East won a combined seven Super Bowls. There must have been some crazy division fights in those years. 

But yeah, usually you might see a division with a few teams fighting and each capable of winning 10 games. Here, we have three teams that could all win 13 or more. Really strong. 

[nicksaviking]

4 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I don't remember any specific year but when I was a kid, from 1986-1995, three different teams in the NFC East won a combined seven Super Bowls. There must have been some crazy division fights in those years. 

But yeah, usually you might see a division with a few teams fighting and each capable of winning 10 games. Here, we have three teams that could all win 13 or more. Really strong. 

You're not wrong about the timeframe or the division. But when I started following the NFL in the mid to late 1980's Washington and the Giants were really good each year and were usually the only teams that could stop the 49ers from winning it all. The Cowboys then did get fortunate as their run of dominance started at the exact same time that Washington and the Giants got really bad. I don't think there was much overlap with all three.

[gunnarthor]

Amari Cooper retiring. Not sure if there is more to this story but retiring right before the season starts - while not  unheard of - is pretty rare. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46157479/source-amari-cooper-tells-raiders-retiring-nfl

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, gunnarthor said:

Amari Cooper retiring. Not sure if there is more to this story but retiring right before the season starts - while not  unheard of - is pretty rare. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46157479/source-amari-cooper-tells-raiders-retiring-nfl

Seems like something that would happen to the NYJ.

[nicksaviking]

The fact that he went unsigned so long when he was still better than tons of free agents who had signed, made me think that the delay was on him. I'd guess he was leaning toward retirement all along but didn't want to commit, then when the Raiders sold him on playing this year and he started practicing, he realized for sure his heart wasn't in it any longer. 

[Cap'n Piranha]

On 8/29/2025 at 9:53 AM, gunnarthor said:

I don't remember any specific year but when I was a kid, from 1986-1995, three different teams in the NFC East won a combined seven Super Bowls. There must have been some crazy division fights in those years. 

But yeah, usually you might see a division with a few teams fighting and each capable of winning 10 games. Here, we have three teams that could all win 13 or more. Really strong. 

I would not be surprised to see the Lions, Packers, or Vikings win 13 games.  I wouldn't be that surprised to see 2 of the 3 win 13 (since it happened just last year).  But I'd be shocked if all 3 won 13--that means there can only be 12 losses at most for those 3 teams, 6 of which are baked in, since those teams have 6 games against each other.  Here's a list of games those 3 teams also have to play; CIN, PHI, @LAC, BAL, WAS, WAS, CIN, PHI, @DEN, BAL, @BAL, @CIN, @KC, TB, @WAS, @PHI, @LAR.  That's 17 games against teams that are very realistic options to make the playoffs this year, so MIN/GB/DET would have to go 11-6 against a creme de la creme schedule, and then not have any hiccups against teams that might still be solid (all 3 play PIT, there are 6 games against the Bears, the Seahawks could be frisky, the Giants could surprise someone given their D-Line, especially if they get a good QB game).

I actually think it's far more likely the Packers win the division at 11-6 than all 3 win 13, and I'd be willing to put a decent amount of money on that.  I say the Packers because they have (on paper) an easier schedule with only 4 callout games above; the Lions schedule is absolutely brutal; they have 7 of the games I called out above (the last 7), and 6 of them are on the road.  There's a pretty plausible path where Detroit plays 11 games against playoff teams, and 8 of them are on the road.  The Vikes have a shot to have a great season, but they also could fall prey to a top-heavy schedule that puts them on 6-8 losses; would anyone be shocked if the Vikes split with DET and GB, then lost to BAL, PHI, and one out of the CIN/LAC/WAS group?  That's 5 losses right there, with potentially tricky games left against CHI, PIT, SEA; going 3-1 there isn't crazy, and there's 6 losses right there.