The NFC North put two teams in the playoffs in 2014 and it should be more competitive next season with Minnesota rising and Chicago returning to prominence. Here are five important offseason decisions that must be made by teams within the division.

What to do about Ndamukong Suh?

The Detroit Lions finally became one of the top defenses in football this season under new head coach Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, but it’s hard to imagine how they duplicate that success potentially without the likes of Suh and Nick Fairley.

The dilemma for the Lions is that Suh, Fairley and even C.J. Mosley are all unrestricted free agents entering the 2015 league year. Clearly Detroit won’t be able to retain all three free agents, but the team knows it must find a way to retain Suh. At this point Suh is going to test the open market, and if cash is his only priority, there are teams like the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders sitting on an enormous pile of it.

It’s going to be an interesting offseason around Detroit, where it looks likely they will find it very difficult to match some of the offers Suh is bound to receive when free agency begins.

Will John Fox stay with “Jake” Cutler at quarterback?

If you missed Fox’s introductory press conference, he started things off with a slip up that showed he’s nowhere near ready to make a decision about who will lead his team onto the field next September. Just a couple of questions into his press conference, Fox was asked if the team could succeed with Cutler going forward. His response, was quite comical.

“I feel good about whoever is at quarterback,” Fox said. “I’m looking forward to getting to know Jake. He did text me, welcoming me to Chicago, and was very excited that I was coming here, which I thought was a nice move.”

Well, it could have been just a slip of the tongue, right?

Fox went on: “I just reminded him that this game is only fun when we win – and – we will, and that I was looking forward to getting to see him. I’m looking forward to seeing Jake face-to-face.”

One thing is certain. Fox has a lot to learn about his new quarterback before he ever decides if he’s the right guy to lead the franchise into 2015. Another thing you can be confident in is, whether it’s starting or holding a clipboard, Cutler will be a Bear in 2015. There’s almost no chance a team takes on the contract the Bears gave him just before last season. So get to know his name, John. He’ll be here for a while.

Is there any chance the NFC Championship collapse warms Mike McCarthy’s seat?

Let’s face it, for all of the positive things you can say about the Seattle Seahawks and the way they kept believing and finished last weekend, the Green Bay Packers absolutely blew that game. While some want to point the finger directly at Packers third-string tight end Brandon Bostick for trying to recover the onside kick instead of doing his job, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and much of it should go to McCarthy. From his decisions to kick field goals on short distance and goal situations to his refusal to throw the ball to attempt to pick up a first down late in the game, McCarthy’s overly conservative strategy is what cost the Packers a chance to play in Super Bowl 49. After the game, McCarthy’s own comments confirmed how absolutely flawed his game plan was.

“I didn’t think it would take a lot of points to win this game,” said McCarthy after his team’s NFC Championship loss. “I felt great about our defense all week, just the way they’ve been building here in the last eight, nine weeks. So, that’s why we had to take the field goals.”

The goal of football, or any sport for that matter, is to score as many points as possible until it’s absolutely clear that your opponent can not come back. Entering any game, let alone a championship game with a “I don’t think we need that many points today” attitude is absolutely absurd. Shame on you, Mike. I’m not suggesting McCarthy should be fired, but a few more costly decisions like these, and some eyebrows are certainly going to start raising in Wisconsin, if they’re not frozen in place.

Can anyone dethrone the Packers?

It seems almost ridiculous to question a coach’s job security in one breath, and then wonder if there’s any chance that coach’s team could be dethroned a season later in the next, but that’s where we’re at with the Packers. Green Bay has won the NFC North each of the past four seasons, and it’s difficult to imagine them not pulling it off again in 2015. Barring injury, it seems any group of lackeys attached to Aaron Rodgers should be playoff contenders, and next season should be no different.

The Packers should be about $25 million under the cap heading into the new league year, but they need to try and re-sign the likes of Randall Cobb, B.J. Raji, Brian Bulaga and Tramon Williams. There might be some turnover on the roster, but it looks like there’s no reason the Packers won’t be very good again in 2015.

The Bears have some money, and will make some moves, but that’s just a team that’s too far away to think they’ll have a shot at taking out the mighty Packers in John Fox’s first season. While the Vikings and their fans have a lot to be excited about, it’s probably too early for this young team to take out Pack just yet. The Detroit Lions are the only team with a legitimate shot of finishing above the Packers next season. That’s not to say the Lions will, but if they can retain Suh, they have a shot. If you assume that the team can continue to progress under Caldwell and the offense can get on track, the Lions will once again be a very dangerous club.

Can Adrian Peterson really be a part of the Minnesota Vikings’ future?

Next season isn’t just any season for the Minnesota Vikings, as the team gets set to unveil its brand new stadium and continues to push into a new era of Vikings football behind new head coach Mike Zimmer and new stars like Teddy Bridgewater and Anthony Barr. It’s clear that Adrian Peterson isn’t the face of the Vikings franchise any longer after missing much of the 2014 due to child abuse charges.

Minnesota seems to be a team on the rise. The offense has a ways to go, but the defense has underrated players on each level, and is growing into a unit to fear. From Everson Griffin, to Chad Greenway, to Harrison Smith, the Vikings have players who don’t necessarily pop into the mind when discussing the greats at their position, but who make big plays, week in and week out. The addition of Barr, who looks like he could one day be part of those conversations has given the defense a new dynamic.

With all of the positives floating around the Vikings right now, it’s hard to imagine that they would want to have Peterson as part of their new direction, in their new building. Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman has continued to suggest the Vikings will retain Peterson, but it will be interesting to see if that holds true once Peterson has been cleared to get back on the field.