Bears

• Bears S Xavier Woods‘ one-year contract with the team is for a minimum of $1.3 million. He also received a $50,000 signing bonus. (Biggs)
• Bears QB Tyson Bagent: “If I’m the backup this year again, I just want to help us win a Super Bowl. Whatever the hell that looks like. If I just need to execute my ass off on scout team, whatever … I’m willing. I’m just in a position where I’m so willing to play whatever role I need to, in order to help the squad and to get better at football.” (Wiederer)

Packers

Packers K Trey Smack notably missed a 52-yard field goal in Monday’s practice, but responded by making his next two field goals, including a 51-yarder. Green Bay HC Matt LaFleur was pleased with Smack’s resiliency. 

“I think that’s what it’s got to be,” LaFleur said, via Bill Huber of SI. “For any young player or any player in general, there’s going to be some trying times and you have to show the resiliency. That’s one of the keys to being successful.”

Smack, who was picked up in the sixth round of this year’s draft, said he’s still getting acclimated to the NFL. 

“The ball’s different. Hashes are closer. Would say uprights are a little taller,” Smack said. “And then conditions are just different. I was all the way down in Florida. Now I’m all the way to the top of America in Wisconsin. So, it’s a little different.”

LaFleur is confident Smack will handle the pressure of being a rookie and earning a starting role. 

“I think he’s got plenty of pressure on him just on a day-to-day,” LaFleur said. “I mean, that’s why we’re talking about this for so long, right? Because there’s a lot of interest and there’s going to be pressure no matter what position you play in this league. That’s just the nature of our league, but I’m confident that he will work his way through it.

Vikings

The Vikings haven’t won a playoff game since 2020 when they beat the Saints 26-20 in overtime during the NFC Wild Card round. Minnesota OT Brian O’Neill thinks the team was at its best when it had a strong rushing attack and feels a personal responsibility to elevate that area of its offense. 

“I thought when we were able to run the ball well, we seemed to win more games, right?” O’Neill said, via Alec Lewis of The Athletic. “That’s kind of how it’s always been in the NFL. You have to be able to do both to have success. I thought we finished strong this year. I was proud of that. But it’s going to be on me and everybody else to try to find a dominant run game throughout the whole year.”

Vikings G Donovan Jackson said this year’s offense has some differences from 2025’s, noting that they need to be in “great physical and mental shape.” 

“The offense that we have this year is a little bit different than the offense that we had last year,” Jackson said. “In order for this to work, we have to be in great physical and mental shape.”

Vikings OT Christian Darrisaw thinks they weren’t exploding off the line of scrimmage well enough in previous seasons and feels they are playing at “full speed” going into 2026. 

“There were times in the past where we weren’t running off the ball,” Darrisaw said. “We were thinking more. Now, it’s just full speed. Let’s go move the line of scrimmage and see what happens.”