The Chicago Bears can't help but sit back and appreciate watching the Minnesota Vikings continue to undo everything they've spent the last two years accomplishing. The division rival fired its GM this offseason and is wasting no time parting ways with underwhelming pieces and working to rebuild a roster that went from a top contender to the NFC North basement. From the outside, it doesn't appear that it will change anytime soon, with this week's news including the revelation that Jonathan Allen would be released due to salary cap restraints.
FOX 9 reporter Ahmad Hicks noted that this wasn't a surprise release, pointing out Allen "was outplayed by Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake-Rodriguez" all year. Given that point, coupled with the fact that the front office traded Harrison Phillips only to pay Allen and Javon Hargrave $42 million combined. This leads us to look at a 2025 trade in which the Vikings dealt Harrison Phillips and a seventh-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for a pair of future sixth-round picks.
Fast forward to today, and Phillips is not only cheaper but playing at a higher level than Hargrave or Allen. Minnesota traded away a cheaper, better player only to cut the pieces they were attempting to create a clearer roster space a season ago. Phillips finished the 2025 season with 34 tackles, a pair of sacks, and 11 pressures, showing just what a mistake it was to give up on a productive defensive lineman as easily as the Vikings did.
Bears Fans Can't Help but Appreciate Vikings' Continued Implosion
All 32 Founder Brett Kollmann noted, "Feels like the Vikings are just undoing basically everything Kwesi did." This is an apt description of Minnesota's offseason thus far, with the franchise attempting to rewind and part ways with all the mistakes of the former GM. The one very obvious issue with this is that you can't bring back the players you've lost due to the former decision-maker's incompetence.
This includes trading Phillips, who remains an important piece of the Jets' defense. For the Vikings, it is hard to see a realistic path for the franchise to elevate itself to anything close to a real threat to the reigning NFC North champs. Both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are far more intimidating challengers, if Chicago is considering the biggest threats within the division.
Minnesota shouldn't even be included in the discussion based on a lack of a strong offseason and an awful cap situation. Things aren't going to get any easier, and the fact that their former quarterback, Sam Darnold, is now a Super Bowl champion while they are locked into the NFC North basement only stings the fan base.
All in all, the predicament the Vikings find themselves in with Allen and Hargrave is a great development for the Bears and one that Minnesota brought on itself with two years of bad decisions.