Ding dong, the wicked Aaron Rodgers is gone

For the first time since 2004, the Minnesota Vikings will enter a season without Aaron Rodgers as a member of the rival Green Bay Packers.

For more than a decade, the Minnesota Vikings have had to go up against Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, whenever it came time to face the Green Bay Packers each season.

The Vikings got the best of Rodgers and the Packers occasionally, especially after U.S. Bank Stadium opened. But overall, Green Bay had a 17-11-1 record against Minnesota in games with the future Hall of Famer starting under center.

Following the news on Monday that a Rodgers trade to the New York Jets has finally been completed, the next time the Vikings take on the Packers will be the first time the quarterback won't be a member of the green and gold since the 2004 season.

Will the Minnesota Vikings become the new kings of the NFC North following the Green Bay Packers trade of Aaron Rodgers?

With Rodgers no longer part of the NFC North, will Minnesota emerge as the team that dominates the division for the next handful of years?

While the Vikings are currently the reigning NFC North champions, the rest of the division features a pair of teams in the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears that are trending upward. We also don't even really know what to expect from Green Bay with Jordan Love taking over as their starting quarterback.

Minnesota was able to win 13 games and the NFC North crown in their first season with Kevin O'Connell as their head coach. With Rodgers now out of the picture, can O'Connell make the success experienced by the Vikings in 2022 something that the team experiences at a more consistent rate?