NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain points out the Bears don’t really have any other players in line for big-money second contracts outside of LB Roquan Smith, which will make it easier to budget a deal that could push $20 million a year. 
• Fishbain thinks there’s a solid chance neither Sam Mustipher nor Dakota Dozier is the Week 1 starter at right guard and the Bears add a free agent instead. 
• The Bears picked up $8.2 million in additional cap space following June 1 for the release of LB Danny Trevathan and RB Tarik Cohen. They will still count for $5.5 million in dead money in 2023. (Over The Cap)

Packers

Packers LT David Bakhtiari has not been fully participating in team drills, with HC Matt LaFleur mentioning that it is all part of their plan to bring the franchise tackle back to full health for 2022.

“Our plan all along was to kind of hold him from this time of the year and make sure he’s continuing to get stronger and ready to go, hopefully, for training camp,” LaFleur said in his Tuesday press conference. “We just thought that, yeah, this is a guy that’s played a lot of ball and it’s best to hold him from this portion of it.”

Vikings

• Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette sustained a lower leg injury and will miss the rest of their spring camp. (Chris Tomasson)
• The Vikings showed interest in DT Akiem Hicks earlier this offseason, but a deal never came together. Hicks signed with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. (Darren Wolfson)
• Vikings recently signed WR Albert Wilson‘s one-year, $1.12 million contract is non-guaranteed and did not include a signing bonus. (Chris Tomasson)
• O’Connell said RB Dalvin Cook has been lining up at receiver during OTAs and is getting time at punt returner as well. (Adam Schefter)
• O’Connell said that he’s given a lot of praise to Cook this offseason and mentions that he’s emerged as a leader of the entire organization. 
• The guaranteed money for Vikings undrafted free agents is available, and includes DE Zach McCloud ($250,000), DE Luiji Vilain ($227,000), RB Bryant Koback ($55,000), S Mike Brown ($50,000), P Ryan Wright ($20,000), C Josh Sokol ($5,000), WR Thomas Hennigan ($2,500) and DT Tyarise Stevenson ($250). (Ben Goessling)