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After weeks of delays, the Packers and Jets finally struck the big deal on Monday. They’ve agreed to a massive trade, sending four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers to New York in exchange for a heavy haul of draft picks. The deal is expected to be finalized later today.
Aaron Rodgers signed his revised contract with the #Packers before 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, per source. So everything remains on schedule: Trade papers can be filed after 4 p.m. ET today and Rodgers will officially become a member of the #Jets.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2023
Rodgers leaving the conference is welcome news for the Seahawks, who have lost five of their last six matchups with Green Bay since the epic 2014 NFC title game. It’s especially exciting for teams in the NFC North that had been getting dominated by Rodgers for the last 15 years.
Ask Seahawks great Richard Sherman and he’ll tell you the conference is up for grabs.
Teams in the NFC North are rejoices and Teams in the AFC East are on notice. Jordan Love is an Unknown so for now Kirk is the best QB in The NFC North. NFC is really up for grabs.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) April 24, 2023
While there’s no infallible conference super-power, there are two very serious contenders that are definitely better than the rest of the field.
The Eagles looked invincible all year right up until they had to face an AFC team in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the 49ers continue to be the team you have to get past in order to reach the Super Bowl. Extreme bad luck with injuries at quarterback has prevented them from actually winning the Lombardi so far, but San Francisco’s roster is still the envy of most NFC teams.
For the Seahawks to catch up with these two, they’ll have to radically improve on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Philadelphia’s greatest strength is their offensive line, which gives Jalen Hurts all the time he needs to reach their weapons and will likely turn Rashaad Penny into an Offensive Player of the Year candiate this coming season.
Meanwhile, the Niners just added Javon Hargrave to an already-lethal defensive line with Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa.
Seattle doesn’t have to field a dominant unit on other side, but seriously trengthening both lines will give them a better chance if they have to face one of these two in the postseason.