The Vikings and Packers Battle May See a Bit of Gasoline Poured onto the Fire
To be sure, there can’t be any criticism sent in linebacker Max Tooley’s direction. The man is simply trying to get his NFL career going in the right direction.
Nevertheless, one wonders if the Vikings and Packers will see their battle see a bit of gas poured onto the fire. Mr. Tooley recently auditioned for a job in Green Bay. Consider the update that arrived courtesy of KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson: “#Packers worked out linebacker Max Tooley.”
The Vikings and Packers in 2025
A lot of the time, the conversation comes down to players going into the opposite direction: former Packers becoming Vikings.
One need only to look at the current roster for some examples. Most prominently, there’s running back Aaron Jones, someone who joined the Vikings back in the 2024 offseason before agreeing to keep calling the Twin Cities home in the 2025 offseason with a two-year extension coming in at a total of $20 million.
Go ahead and consider linebacker Eric Wilson, someone who has shuffled back and forth between the pair of NFC North teams (while also finding work as a Texan, Eagle, and Saint).
Moreover, there’s the recent history more broadly. Players like edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, defensive lineman Dean Lowry, corners Bashaud Breeland as well as Chandon Sullivan, and receiver Greg Jennings come to mind as individuals who left Green Bay behind for Minneapolis. Oh, and not too long ago some guy named Brett Favre traded green for purple.
For Max Tooley, the process looks a little different than the players listed above since he’s still looking to solidify his NFL career. The defender got into the NFL back in 2024 as an undrafted free agent who got brought down to Houston. He saw $125,000 of his initial contract guaranteed, a respectable payday to become a Texan.
After failing to find a permanent home in Houston, Mr. Tooley brought his talents to Minnesota.
The 2024 season involved Max Tooley putting in work on the Vikings’ practice squad. Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. both battled injury last season, but the young ‘backer didn’t get called up to the active roster. Instead, depth option Kamu Grugier-Hill saw an increased workload on defense. So, too, did versatile players like Andrew Van Ginkel and Josh Metellus get some playing time at linebacker.
Max Tooley is a 6’2″ and 225-pound linebacker, meaning he’s on the smaller side. Essentially, a large safety. Working against him is that he’s already 27.
In Week 12, the Vikings will take on the Packers at Lambeau Field. That game occurs on Sunday, November 23rd and will begin at 12 p.m. CT. Next up is a Vikings and Packers battle in Week 18. The details of that game are yet to be finalized. Both teams could conceivably be battling for the top spot in the division — and, indeed, the conference more broadly — so the NFL has baked flexibility into its schedule, allowing for an easy prime time placement if it makes sense to do so.
It remains to be seen if Tooley will participate in these games.
Once the dust settles — the process of trimming rosters is ongoing — Max Tooley could reasonably find work with the Vikings, Packers, or another NFL team. His most likely destination is a spot on the practice squad.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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