It doesn’t look good, but there is a silver lining for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Green Bay Packers‘ blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons has put the Packers in the pole position to win the NFC North. Oddsmakers have picked Green Bay as the favorite to dethrone the Detroit Lions, who swept the division last year.
However, there are serious roster implications for what the Packers gave up to land Parsons. Not only did they send their next two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys, but they also signed Parsons to the largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history.
The four-year, $188 million deal with an average annual value of $47 million, which is larger than Patrick Mahomes‘ contract — and Parsons doesn’t move the needle like Mahomes.
“Including Parsons, there are 10 non-quarterbacks in the NFL making at least $33 million per year, and none of them have ever won a Super Bowl, which raises a lot of questions about the best way to build a roster in the NFL,” CBS Sports’ John Breech wrote.
Jordan Love and Parson are the first duo to combine for over $100 million in average annual value, which is going to create some serious roster-building concerns in the coming years.
Plugging Parsons into the Packers’ 2025 roster does make them a considerable Super Bowl contender. However, the cap constraints in the coming years could force the Packers to part ways with some of their top players — and they just gave up considerable draft capital that could have helped fill those holes.
While the Packers have invested $47 million a year into a single player, the Vikings’ entire defensive front, which has six combined Pro Bowls, cost Minnesota just $1 million more than Parsons.
“$47 million is a steep price to pay for one player. You can buy a lot of players for that money — just ask the Vikings,” Breech added.
Vikings Facing Their Own Packers-Micah Parsons Dilemma With Justin Jefferson
GettyVikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson
The Packers are not alone in their questionable financial future by paying Parsons.
It’s the dilemma teams are facing in awarding big-money contracts to non-quarterbacks.
The Vikings faced it when they signed Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million deal. However, that signing was made in an effort to elevate J.J. McCarthy, who is on an affordable rookie-scale contract.
The gravity that Jefferson commands as defenses alter their coverage schemes, both double-teaming and bracketing, to hinder him is an invisible value that isn’t evident on the box score — but it is immense.
Jefferson opens up opportunities elsewhere on the field for the Vikings offense, which should aid McCarthy in his development over the course of his four-year, $12.7 million deal.
While the Packers thrust open their Super Bowl window with the Parsons trade, the timeline looks much shorter than the Vikings, who have the duration of McCarthy’s rookie contract before the purse strings get tight.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Trade Shifts NFL Super Bowl Odds Dramatically
Make no mistake. The NFC North is going to be a dogfight now that the Packers have shown they are going all-in.
Oddsmakers have adjusted accordingly.
According to Packers beat reporter Bill Huber, the following shifts in odds occurred at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Before the deal, the Packers were tied for the ninth-best odds (+2200) at winning the Super Bowl. Afterwards, Green Bay holds the fifth-best odds at +1200, tied with the Lions. They both share the second-best odds in the NFC behind only the Philadelphia Eagles at +750.
Meanwhile, among all teams in the NFL, the Vikings’ Super Bowl odds took the biggest downward turn after the grade. On Thursday morning, they were +2000 and slid to +2500 afterward.
The Lions’ odds shifted from +1100 to +1200, while the Chicago Bears were unchanged at +3500.
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