{
  "id": 8336219,
  "title": "Bears-Vikings Franchise Connections",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/bears-vikings-franchise-connections",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bears-vikings-franchise-connections-000000728.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Chicago Bears are set to host the Minnesota Vikings in their home opener at Soldier Field on Sunday, aiming for a second consecutive division win. With all four NFC North teams vying for playoff contention, every divisional victory becomes crucial. Throughout the season, the Bears and Vikings share several connections within their respective organizations.\n\nThree Bears players have previously played for the Vikings: Case Keenum, Xavier Woods, and center Garrett Bradbury. Keenum, a former Minnesota starter in 2017, led the Vikings to an 11-3 record and a playoff berth in the NFC Championship Game. Woods, who missed the Bears' Week 1 game but is expected to return, spent the entirety of 2021 on the Vikings' roster, recording 108 tackles, three interceptions, ten pass deflections, and two forced fumbles, ranking in the top 33 of the NFL in his performance metric.\n\nBradbury, a first-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2019, spent six seasons with the team as its starting center before being signed to a three-year, $15.7 million extension by the Bears in 2023. Meanwhile, defensive lineman James Lynch, a fourth-round pick by the Vikings in 2020, played for the Bears for four seasons, starting in three games before tearing his ACL in 2023.\n\nPractice squad defensive end Marcus Davenport has also had a brief stint with the Vikings during the 2023 season. However, the most notable connection between the two teams is Ryan Pace, the Bears' current football advisor, who was once the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2021. Under Pace's leadership, the Bears posted a 48-65 record, made the playoffs twice, and won the NFC North division in 2018, but ultimately fell short in the Wild Card Round.",
  "summary": "Let’s spotlight the franchise connections between the Bears and Vikings heading into Week 2. @jacobinfante24 has it here:",
  "key_points": [
    "Three Bears players previously played for Vikings: Keenum, Woods, Bradbury",
    "Keenum led Vikings to 11-3 record and playoff berth in 2017",
    "Ryan Pace, Bears advisor, was GM of Bears 2015-2021"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Bears-Vikings matchup highlights extensive organizational ties, with several players and a key front office figure having switched sides, potentially influencing Sunday's divisional game dynamics.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}