Cheese Curds, 2/18: Are all the QBs returning to the NFC North?

If Aaron Rodgers does indeed return to the Green Bay Packers, it appears that all four NFC North teams will run it back in 2022 with the same starting quarterbacks that they had in 2021. Justin Fields is the man in Chicago, where the Bears hired Luke Getsy away from Green Bay to be his mentor. Jared Goff will continue to play for the Lions, barring a surprising decision with the second overall draft pick.

And in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins’ contract has the Vikings with very little choice but to keep him around. That fully guaranteed deal will be a painful pill for Minnesota’s new regime to swallow this year, but they have no real choice — and they will have to either deal with his $45 million salary cap hit this year or give him a contract extension to tie them to him even longer.

It would be a very different scenario from last season, when the Bears and Lions were both breaking in new signal-callers. Goff arrived from Los Angeles in the trade that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams, while the Bears jettisoned Mitchell Trubisky in favor of Fields and Andy Dalton. Now it’s just up to Rodgers to make his call on whether he’s going to come back for Last Dance 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The biggest offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams and how teams can fill them via the draft, trades and free agents – The Athletic ($)
For the Packers, the listed position is tight end -- which assumes that Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams return. Robert Tonyan's injury throws a wrench into that equation, however, as it's uncertain when he'll be able to be back on the field.

Packers enter difficult offseason with strong roster foundation | Packers Wire
Green Bay has no shortage of key players hitting free agency or facing major questions, and the depth in 2022 may suffer because of salary cap concerns. But if the QB and WR return, this team has stars at just about every critical position. Essentially, if tight end is your biggest need, you’re doing pretty well.

Return of Tom Clements Could Foreshadow Return of Aaron Rodgers to Packers - Sports Illustrated Green Bay Packers News, Analysis and More
This move, however, seems solely designed to help woo Rodgers back, as it feels unlikely that Clements would return to Green Bay solely to coach up a young quarterback in Jordan Love.

New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell on Kirk Cousins: 'I'm excited to coach him' | NFL.com
Meanwhile, the Vikings look poised to bring Cousins back for another go, which is realistically their only option given his fully guaranteed $35 million salary.

Willie Buchanon was ‘the cornerstone of all corners’ | Packers.com
A past star at one of those critical positions was Buchanon, who was a stellar cornerback in the 1970s. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1972 and was an All-Pro in 1978, his last season with the team.

Raccoon Crashes Through LSU Dining Hall Ceiling As Students Eat Dinner | DC101
Look, he just wanted a snack! Leave the poor little guy alone.