With the Packers and Vikings set to open the 2026 season next Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, Green Bay is walking into a Minnesota team that looks different in a few important places and familiar in others.
The Vikings have changed at quarterback, brought back a retired veteran on defense, and added more muscle to their receiver room. They also still have enough pieces to make Week 1 plenty interesting for the Packers.
The biggest shift is under center. Instead of J.J.
McCarthy or Max Brosmer, Minnesota is going with former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray to start the season. Murray is 0-2 in his career against Green Bay, and while his game still comes with the kind of movement and improvisation that can stress a defense, he has not guided a team to a winning record as a starter since 2021.
His career passer rating sits at 92.2. Last season, he appeared in only five games, and he has not played in a regular season game since Oct. 5 of 2025.
Kevin O'Connell said of Murray: "I think he's demonstrated what he's capable of, both the experience he has playing at a high level in this league, but also his experience now of coming in here being challenged. And I think he's shown enough to really project with the right prerequisite now of work for a starter leading into a camp that we can get the rhythm, the timing, we can get the mastery of our system and this year's system, regardless of what we've done in previous years, what we're going to look like, how we're going to play.
There's different things and nuances that we're going to fit to what our players, Kyler included, do the best. And in my opinion, he's got the skill set and the abilities, not only just from a standpoint of accuracy, but his ability to affect the game with his athleticism."
Minnesota also got a notable veteran back on defense. Harrison Smith is returning from retirement for a 15th NFL season, a surprise development before Week 1.
He knows Brian Flores’ system well and gives the Vikings a steady, versatile presence who can help line everyone up before the snap and move around after it. Even though he was away from training camp, he is expected to be ready to help right away.
The pass rush looks different too. Jonathan Greenard is gone after a trade to the Eagles, leaving a hole on the edge after his Pro Bowl season in 2024 and an injury-marred 2025.
Dallas Turner, a 2024 first-round pick, is now expected to carry much of that load. He finished last season with 8.0 sacks and 15 quarterback hits, and a matchup with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan could be one of the more notable battles of the opener.
Andrew Van Ginkel remains in the mix, and Minnesota also added veteran Kyle Van Noy to the practice squad.
Up front, the Vikings added youth on the defensive line with first-round pick Caleb Banks from Florida and third-round pick Domonique Orange from Iowa State. Neither is projected to start, but both should see the field early.
Banks brings talent but has dealt with injuries and inconsistency, while Orange was a player Packers fans had circled in the pre-draft process. Green Bay went a different direction, signing former Vikings lineman Javon Hargrave and taking Chris McClellan with Orange still available in the third round.
The receiving group got more physical as well. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison already make life difficult for any secondary, and now Jauan Jennings is in the mix after catching nine touchdowns last season with the 49ers.
Jennings gives Minnesota a different kind of threat with his size, blocking, and toughness near the goal line. Kevin O'Connell said: "You gotta be able to line up on third down, when you're one of the few players that might be single covered in man-to-man, you gotta be able to win, you gotta be able to make contested catches, and you gotta be able to do something with it after the catch.
Jauan does all those things. I think Vikings fans are gonna fall in love with watching this guy play football, the passion and the physicality that he plays with.
You can tell I'm excited about it."
That group will test a rebuilt Packers cornerback room that includes top pick Brandon Cisse and free agent addition Benjamin St-Juste.
Minnesota still has Aaron Jones, too. The former Packers running back is back for a third season with the Vikings after a 2025 campaign that produced 548 rushing yards over 12 games.
He is expected to share the backfield lead with Jordan Mason. Jones has been productive in his three games against Green Bay, but he has never scored against his former team, and the Packers held him to 41 rushing yards in their last meeting.
Eric Wilson, another former Packer, remains an important linebacker for Flores.
One more area to keep an eye on is the offensive line. Minnesota had to juggle its front last season because of injuries, and that hurt pass protection during the quarterback carousel.
This group is healthy now, with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neil anchoring the tackles. The interior is the spot Green Bay will try to attack, especially left guard Donovan Jackson, center Blake Brandel and right guard Will Fries.
Brandel is replacing Ryan Kelly, who retired, and the Packers’ pass rush, including Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave, will need to win inside because Darrisaw and O'Neil are difficult to beat around the edge.
Packers-Vikings is set for a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff next Sunday.
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Harrison Smith Return Raises A Bigger Vikings Question
Harrison Smith is back in the fold for the Minnesota Vikings, and the move brings some immediate clarity to a secondary that still leans on his experience and steadiness. The veteran safety, now 37, re-signed on a one-year deal after being released in March, giving the Vikings a familiar anchor as they continue sorting out the back end of their defense.
Smiths return also points to a larger roster question the Vikings still have to answer. He has been a key part of the defense, especially after Jamal Adams season-ending injury, and the expectation is that Smith will work in a major role alongside younger safeties. What remains to be seen is how the Vikings balance his presence with the need to develop the next wave behind him. [Read more 🡒]
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Peterson is one of several first-year finalists drawing attention, alongside Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger and Richard Sherman, while a group of returning finalists is back in the mix after falling short a year ago. For Minnesota, Petersons presence is the obvious hook, but the bigger intrigue is how the new setup will shape the debate for an already crowded ballot and whether any of the familiar holdovers can finally break through under a process with less room for maneuver. [Read more 🡒]