This past Tuesday I highlighted one player for each division rival that could become a cap casualty. Today, I want to follow that up with players around the NFC North who are already  free agents, since, of course, cap space and free agency go hand-in-hand. There are a few familiar names on this list, as well as a few players who could make an impact for the Packers if their respective teams allow them to test the market. 

Starting with the Chicago Bears, the first name that will immediately jump out to fans is former Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He signed a one-year deal with the Bears during free agency last offseason, and he played well. Clinton-Dix started all 16 games for the Bears, had two interceptions (one that was returned for a touchdown), and five passes defensed. He also recovered two fumbles and had a combined 78 tackles. 

Clinton-Dix had a nice year opposite former Alabama teammate Eddie Jackson, and has expressed his desire to stay with the Bears for that reason, but he also is looking for a much bigger contract this offseason. Signing a $3 million prove-it deal last year, Clinton-Dix expects his next contract to be significant. The Bears don’t have a ton of cap space available to them with roughly $13.4 million to spend, so whether they’d opt to give Clinton-Dix the kind of contract he desires remains to be seen, especially with the long-term deal Jackson recently signed that made him the highest-paid safety in league history. 

To wrap up the Bears we have two players at the same position, inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski. Trevathan is obviously the more well-known player for the Bears, but he’s only played a full season once during his tenure with Chicago and he’ll turn 30 this offseason. Rather than re-sign Trevathan to what would likely be a more expensive contract, the Bears could turn to Kwiatkoski, their fourth-round pick from the 2016 Draft who filled in nicely this past season in Trevathan’s absence. 

Of course, the alternative here is that the Bears opt to bring neither Trevathan or Kwiatkoski back and look to the draft or free agency to find a tandem for Roquan Smith in the middle of the defense, but as we’ve already noted, Chicago doesn’t have a ton of cap space available to go on a shopping spree. 

Packers fans have expressed interest in both free agent inside linebackers this offseason, especially with Blake Martinez entering free agency himself, so these are two names to keep an eye on should either or both make it to the open market. 

Next up, the Minnesota Vikings who, as we noted Tuesday, are actually in the negative currently when it comes to cap space. Minnesota has some work to do in order to get back under the salary cap, so it’s unlikely they’ll be able to make a splash in free agency unless there are some surprise releases or restructured contracts. 

The Vikings have two free agents in the secondary in cornerback Trae Waynes and safety Anthony Harris. Coincidentally, former Vikings defensive backs coach Jerry Gray was hired by Matt LaFleur to be the Packers’ new defensive backs coach this offseason. Harris is unlikely to see the open market given the career season he had in Minnesota, snagging six interceptions and tallying 11 passes defensed in 2019. 

Waynes, on the other hand, might be the more expendable player in the Vikings secondary, depending on what the Vikings end up doing with Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes is locked in with Minnesota through 2023, but his lofty contract might be a quick way for the Vikings to get back under the salary cap. Given Minnesota’s cap situation, it’s unlikely to think both Harris and Waynes would come back, so a lot of the secondary shuffling will depend on both players’ value on the open market. 

The Packers could make a call about somebody like Waynes depending on what happens with Tramon Williams in free agency. Adding another veteran to the room isn’t a bad idea, and Waynes already has familiarity with Gray. Kevin King is also set to become a free agent in 2021, so the cornerbacks room isn’t locked in for much longer behind Jaire Alexander. 

A final name of interest for Minnesota is kicker Dan Bailey, but it’s hard to picture the Vikings parting with such a reliable player at what can be an unreliable position. Bailey finished his 2019 season making 93.1% of his kicks, and after the kicking carousel that surrounded Minnesota for the last few seasons, Bailey makes sense as someone the Vikings would want to hang onto. While the Packers also have a kicker entering free agency, I have a hard time seeing Green Bay moving on from Mason Crosby, so this whole thing is a non-starter, really. (But it makes for an interesting paragraph, right?)

Finally, let’s talk about the Detroit Lions, who have another familiar face set to enter free agency in Mike Daniels. Daniels signed a one-year contract with the Lions this past offseason, but unfortunately battled injuries for most of the season and only made two starts for the team. The Lions acquired Damon Harrison before the trade deadline this past season, but now Harrison is contemplating retirement, so the defensive interior in Detroit is pretty up in the air, especially if we factor in former second-round pick defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and his pending free agency, too. 

Robinson is the youngest of the trio by a significant margin at only 24 years old, so it makes the most sense to think the Lions would prioritize his signing over Daniels, especially if Harrison does indeed retire this offseason. However, there are a few free agents on the market that could intrigue the Lions, like Chris Jones (though he’ll earn a massive payday), D.J. Reader, and Javon Hargrave, so it’s possible the Lions would move on from both of their in-house options and look to the open market for a big name stud along the defensive line, assuming any of the options listed actually make it to free agency. Detroit is in the best financial situation in the NFC North currently with over $45 million available to spend, so it wouldn’t shock me to see them make a splash and try to overhaul the defensive side of the ball. 

Are there any division rival free agents that have especially caught your eye? Let me know in the comments.