Packers Lose Veteran Starter to New Deal With Divisional Rival

The Green Bay Packers are losing another one of last year’s veteran starters in 2025 NFL free agency — this time, losing him to an NFC North rival.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Minnesota Vikings are signing a new deal with veteran linebacker and core special-teamer Eric Wilson for the 2025 season, bringing him back to where he began his NFL career and played from 2017 to 2020.

The Vikings also announced the move Friday on their official X account.

“Welcome back, @EWIL23!” the team posted along with a link to the news release about the move. “The #Vikings have agreed to terms with LB Eric Wilson.”

Packers Have Draft Resources to Replace Eric Wilson

The writing has been on the wall for Wilson with the Packers set to return Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and two 2024 draft picks — Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper — to their linebacker corps next season. Even still, Wilson leaving for a rival stings a bit.

Wilson has played 47 games over the past three seasons with the Packers, playing a key role on Rich Bisaccia’s special teams unit and providing depth at the linebacker. In 2024, he played in every game, starting in 12 and tallying 72 total tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for loss, one interception, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.

On the bright side, the Packers have a nice collection of draft picks to find a suitable replacement for Wilson — even if they are only looking to replace him on special teams.

The Packers have one pick in every round of the draft except for the seventh, in which they have two selections after landing a compensatory seventh-rounder on Tuesday. That means they have the resources to take chances on Day 3 players who might offer Bisaccia more oomph for his third-phase unit, maybe even another linebacker.

Which Packers Free Agents Have Signed Elsewhere?

Wilson is a notable departure for the Packers considering he has played for the team for the past three seasons and stepped up to the plate on defense in 2024, but he is not the first of their 2025 free agents to sign new contracts elsewhere over the past week.

According to the NFL transaction wire, the Packers have seen cornerback Eric Stokes (Las Vegas Raiders), center Josh Myers (New York Jets), running back A.J. Dillon (Philadelphia Eagles) and interior defensive lineman T.J. Slaton (Cincinnati Bengals) sign with other teams in the first wave of free agency.

Three of those four departures are either former first- or second-round picks for the Packers with the team originally selecting Stokes at No. 29 overall in the 2021 draft. Stokes, Myers and Slaton are also from the same 2021 draft class, one that only has one remaining member — McDuffie — on the roster heading into the 2025 season.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Colts also announced they signed veteran cornerback Corey Ballentine, taking another one of the Packers’ free agents off the board.

The following Packers free agents are still unsigned: offensive tackle Andre Dillard, cornerback Robert Rochell, running back Ellis Merriweather, kicker Daniel Whelan and tight ends John FitzPatrick and Tyler Davis.