Six story lines to watch as NFL training camps kick into high gear

Beating an old bully from Wisconsin currently ranks atop the to-do list for a new Vikings regime casting a fresh-faced look at figuring out how the heck a team from Minnesota can finally win a Super Bowl.

It would help, of course, if the Purple's 38-year-old nemesis acted his NFL age entering his 18^th season. But, no, Aaron Rodgers, the two-time reigning and four-time overall league MVP, stole the opening bell for NFL training camps this week by arriving in Green Bay on Monday looking happy, healthy and exactly like a buff Nicolas Cage in "Con Air."

"The first path to getting into the dance is winning your division," Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said when asked how much of his "competitive rebuild" was focused on A-Rodg and the Cheeseheads.

As Rodgers' enemy fans in the NFC North know all too well, the Vikings, Bears and Lions generally fare about as well against Rodgers as the bad guys did against Cage in "Con Air."

Rodgers is 58-21-1 within the division, including 17-10-1 against the Vikings. Since becoming a starter in 2008, he's won eight of 14 division titles, including the past three, in seasons in which Anthony Barr didn't break his collarbone in Week 7.

Rodgers, of course, has a bigger goal that's eluded him and dented his legacy a bit the past 12 seasons: A return to the Super Bowl for the first time since winning his one ring during the 2010 season.

He and 42-year-old coach Matt LaFleur – now entering his fourth season as the longest-tenured coach in the division – have compiled three straight 13-win seasons, two straight No. 1 seeds and still no Super Bowl appearance. And they head into this year after trading All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to Las Vegas and losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling via free agency.

It will take another MVP-caliber performance by Rodgers for the Packers to finally break through. If Rodgers does win again, he'd tie Peyton Manning's record of five overall and Brett Favre's mark of three straight.

First up for Rodgers this season is a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium to face a new Vikings 3-4 defense being run by former Packers defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. So, Vikings safety Harrison Smith, how will this defense fare against Rodgers compared to former coach Mike Zimmer's defense that went 8-7-1 against Rodgers?

"I guess we'll find out pretty soon," Smith said. "He's going to be tough against any defense you throw at him. You obviously know that, and we all know that. He's kind of seen it all, and he's got tools and the awareness and the arm to make stuff happen against anything."

And?

"I did see his look when he reported to camp [Monday]," Smith continued. "I appreciate it, because I'm a Nic Cage fan myself, as we've discussed before. So it's a good look. That adds a little more, even."

Here are five other story lines to watch during NFL training camps:

1. Will the risky Rams formula work elsewhere?

Les Snead, the trade-happiest general manager the NFL has ever seen, used a swashbuckling blueprint that won the Rams a Super Bowl while giving the rest of us the most exciting offseason in league history. Now it's time to find out if LA's all-in, future-be-darned philosophy will reap another immediate Lombardi Trophy. Denver sent two first-rounders, two second-rounders, a fifth-rounder and three players to Seattle for quarterback Russell Wilson. Miami handed the Chiefs five draft picks – including first- and second-rounders this year – for 28-year-old receiver Tyreek Hill. The Raiders gave the Packers a first- and a second-round pick for 29-year-old receiver Davante Adams. And, of course, the Browns gave up six picks, including three first-rounders, for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, a guy who hasn't played since 2020 and was still facing 22 lawsuits for sexual misconduct at the time of the trade.

2. Is Watson really worth it?

The Browns essentially sold their soul to get Watson at some point this season. Besides mortgaging their draft future, they handed Watson a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract. Now they wait for the NFL to announce the length of his suspension. He settled with 20 of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Not an ideal look for Cleveland. But, hey, this is the NFL, and Watson is a 26-year-old three-time Pro Bowler who led the league with 4,823 passing yards in 2020. And two separate grand juries declined to indict on criminal charges. Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have started 32 quarterbacks. No. 33 is expected to be Jacoby Brissett. He'll likely start Week 1 against Carolina's Baker Mayfield, who 14 months ago led the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years.

3. Can the Bengals stay atop tougher AFC?

Remember about five minutes ago when Bengals coach Zac Taylor was on the hot seat in Cincinnati? Remember about four minutes ago when Bengals owner Mike Brown was just being a cheapskate for not firing Taylor when he was 6-25-1 at the end of the 2020 season? Well, after Cincinnati's first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years, Taylor oversees a rising power with the league's most dynamic young tandem in quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase. The offseason was spent rebuilding an offensive line that gave up a Super Bowl-record seven sacks. Is it enough to go another step and win the Super Bowl? First, is it enough to retake an AFC that got a lot more talented with the addition of players like Adams, Von Miller, Russell Wilson, Khalil Mack, Terron Armstead, Amari Cooper, Brandon Scherff and Matt Ryan?

4. Brady's back … again … and again …

Note to self: The next time Tom Brady retires, tell your editors to wait 41 days before writing your version of the "Ode to the G.O.A.T." farewells. Yes, Brady's "retirement" lasted just 40 days before he decided that winning seven of 10 Super Bowls, including one in his first season in Tampa in 2020, wasn't quite satisfying enough. He turns 45 in August and he'll be playing for his second head coach in three years in Tampa after 20 straight with Bill Belichick in New England. Bruce Arians stepped into the front office to allow another pretty good T.B. (defensive coordinator Todd Bowles) a golden opportunity to take control of a team that once again became a Super Bowl contender the moment Brady unretired. At 44, Brady finished second in the MVP voting while leading the league in completions (485), attempts (719), passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43).

5. Nice knowing you, Mr. McCarthy

The hottest seat in the country belongs to the guy coaching "America's Team." Mike McCarthy is 18-16 after two years as Cowboys coach. It's no secret Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a soft spot for Sean Payton, the former Saints coach who's out of football and under contract to New Orleans for three years. It's also no secret that Jones would trade draft picks to get Payton. Another figure lurking over McCarthy's shoulder is his own defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn. The former Falcons head coach took his name out of the running for head coaching jobs, including the Vikings, to sign a multiyear deal with the Cowboys. In 2020, McCarthy went 6-10. Last year, he went 12-5, but was the only coach to lose at home in the wild card round. McCarthy needs a playoff run at a time when the Cowboys parted ways with the likes of La'el Collins, Randy Gregory and Amari Cooper.