The San Francisco 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl, but they might have the most uncertainty at quarterback among the four NFC West teams.
With the 49ers continuing to be in win-now mode, many are connecting them to soon-to-be free agent Kirk Cousins, despite receiving promising postseason performances from Brock Purdy. The Kansas City Chiefs bested the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII partly because they had Patrick Mahomes on their side.
But the 49ers should stick with Purdy and prioritize one of his top playmakers who’s due for a contract extension.
The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams appear content with Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford, respectively, but they need to add more talent to the roster. The Seattle Seahawks will likely stick with Geno Smith after guaranteeing his $12.7 million base salary for 2024. Seattle has bigger problems on the defensive side.
Here’s one move every NFC West team should make this offseason.
Arizona Cardinals
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One move they should make: Draft Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Cardinals showed plenty of fight in 2023 and recorded impressive wins against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. By being competitive, the Cardinals missed on a top-three draft pick, but they’re still in a good position with the fourth pick to select wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s regarded as the best overall draft prospect in the ’24 class. The owners of the top three picks—the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots—all have quarterback needs and could select signal-callers Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, in no particular order. Harrison could make an immediate impact with Murray and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who impressed many with his play calls and designs last season.
Los Angeles Rams
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One move they should make: Sign Brian Burns, Josh Allen or Danielle Hunter
The Rams made it work with an inexperienced defense surrounding future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, as Los Angeles surprised many to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. But now that the Rams have about $27 million in cap space, they should address their need on the opposite side of edge rusher Byron Young, who recorded eight sacks during his rookie season. Carolina’s Brian Burns, Jacksonville’s Josh Allen and Minnesota’s Danielle Hunter could be available by the time free agency opens in March. The Rams tried trading for Burns during the 2022 season. There’s a chance all three standout edge rushers could be retained by their respective teams, but L.A. needs to be ready in case one becomes available.
San Francisco 49ers
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One move they should make: Agree to contract extension with Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk had a cryptic message on his social media account that read, “Don’t forget what got you there.” If that was a message for the 49ers, they should listen because Aiyuk was better than his teammate Deebo Samuel last season. Outside of Christian McCaffrey, Aiyuk might be the 49ers’ top offensive playmaker, and that says a lot, especially for a team filled with All-Pros. Yes, the 49ers have cap space issues ($12.3 million over the cap), but they need to make savvy moves to free up money for Aiyuk, who had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season. If the 49ers pursue a quarterback, such as Kirk Cousins, that could mean the team trades Aiyuk to create cap space for Cousins. They would be better off re-signing the 2020 first-round pick and sticking with Purdy.
Seattle Seahawks
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One move they should make: Cut Jamal Adams
It’s time for the Seahawks to cut their losses with Adams and move on from one of the worst trades of the past 10 years. The Seahawks traded two first-round picks to the New York Jets for Adams in 2020. The former Pro Bowl safety has struggled in coverage and has been hampered by injuries throughout his stint in Seattle. The Seahawks, who are currently $5.2 million over the salary cap, can save about $6 million by cutting Adams. They can also save another $11 million by cutting safety Quandre Diggs, who had a rough ’23 season. The Seahawks need to retool one of the most disappointing defensive units of last season.
