Packers Continue to Do the Vikings Favors
The Minnesota Vikings open with the Green Bay Packers in 2026, and their top rival just handed out yet another big payday. The benefit to Minnesota is that Green Bay seems to love giving away cap space to players who have questionable value relative to their production.
Jordan Love is currently playing on a $220 million contract, despite effectively being a younger version of Kirk Cousins. Of course, he needs wide receivers to throw to, and Green Bay hasn’t had those since Donald Driver, Davante Adams, and Randall Cobb suited up.
Green Bay’s Spending Gives Minnesota Another Opening
Rather than aim for stars to outfit Love with in the passing game, the Packers have surrounded him with Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and now a very expensive (and oft-injured) Christian Watson.
The jury is still out on Golden as he was just a rookie last year. However, he played in only 14 games, contributed just 361 yards, and didn’t find the end zone. Reed has topped out at 857 yards as a high-water mark during a season, and would be an afterthought in a room with any notable level of talent. Then there’s Watson, who has never played in more than 15 games in a season and hasn’t gone beyond 620 yards.
Minnesota boasts an embarrassment of riches at the position, to be sure. Jordan Addison runs circles around the Packers group, and recently inked Jauan Jennings likely laps the Green Bay collection as well. For a Vikings team that has questionable secondary depth and answers, having divisional foes welcome mediocrity in the passing game is a good thing.
It remains to be seen whether Josh Jacobs will be charged or punished for his accusations this offseason. If that does happen, he’d be another player the Packers won’t have in Week 1 when they face Minnesota. Taking away a key cog in the running game while leaving the passing game as it is certainly debilitates the opponent.
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