What did the Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks get wrong in free agency and the draft?
Teams that win offseasons in March through May rarely find themselves atop the standings when the calendar flips to December and January.
Free agent signings commonly become expensive anchors against the salary cap. Draft picks are fifty-fifty propositions in the first round and the odds of hitting get worse as the order progresses. Every year we spend the spring chatting about the largest acquisitions, but the player that wins your fantasy team probably came via the waiver wire.
It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and instead replace them with the hater goggles. These are the major moves for each team in the NFC West and why they are destined to now work out:
Arizona Cardinals
Drafting a slow, injured corner in the second round
It was honestly surprising watching Michigan’s Will Johnson fall out of the first round. The rumor mill suggests that he has a degenerative knee issue that could limit the length of his NFL career, and that’s especially concerning for a player whose biggest question mark through the draft process was a potential lack of speed. The margin of error seems slim for this pick. What happens if Johnson loses even a half of step from the height of his athletic powers?
Neglecting the offense
Sure, Kyler Murray got his fair share of new toys a year ago headlined by Marvin Harrison, Jr. In the NFL, if you assume key parts of the roster will continue its upward trajectory while turning your attention to another, you are almost sure to be disappointed. This is a league of parity and there are invisible forces constantly pulling you back toward average. Could we see Arizona take a step forward on defense while regressing on offense?
Just how good can the Arizona Cardinals defense be in 2025 under Nick Rallis? pic.twitter.com/qcQKYK5wp1
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) May 3, 2025
The Cardinals are still the Cardinals
Arizona has made the playoffs a single time since they drafted Kyler Murray in 2019, and the Rams convincingly bounced them in the first round. I like most of what the Cardinals have done over the last few offseasons, but I can’t trust them to perform on the biggest stages. I’ll have to see it in order to believe it.
Los Angeles Rams
Are we sure hitching the wagon to Matthew Stafford is a good idea?
It didn’t take a genius to expect significant statistical regression for Stafford after his standout 2023 performance. In fact, I all but called it ahead of last season. The major question is whether this is a sign of decline for an aging player or a return to career averages.
Sean McVay could take nearly any starting caliber quarterback in the NFL and lead him to a career-best season.
LA has a blossoming roster filled with young talent. If Stafford declines beyond his drop last season, the whole system could be thrown into jeopardy.
The Rams didn’t address their most obvious offseason need
Am I supposed to feel good about a cornerback room that includes Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, and Emmanuel Forbes? Don’t tell be Jalen Ramsey is going to fix every thing, as he’s on the wrong side of age 30 and not the player he was when he left Los Angeles.
The easiest answer to neutralize a pass rush is a quick passing game, which we saw teams exploit over and over again towards the end of Aaron Donald’s career. Given the state of LA’s secondary, why wouldn’t teams just dust off that game plan during Rams week?
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers haven’t paid Brock Purdy because deep down they know it’s a bad idea
In the same vein of the idea that McVay could make just about every quarterback look better, Kyle Shanahan also deserves to be in the conversation. He went to Super Bowls with Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy.
$50M per year is an enormous price tag for a player who shined with an all-star supporting cast and then took a major step backwards when the unit around him deteriorated. Purdy is a fine quarterback if your goal is to make the playoffs most years. He simply won’t be the right guy if you truly aspire to win a championship.
There is some chatter that a Brock Purdy-49ers extension is far from complete.
But the sense I get is that they’re closer than we think — just look at Purdy’s presence at San Francisco’s OTAs as evidence: https://t.co/tQugXdBtyw pic.twitter.com/iGwyOwRNnt
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 2, 2025
They would have traded Brandon Aiyuk if someone else wanted their damaged goods
Receiver trade rumors is becoming a tradition for San Francisco. This year they made good by shipping Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders. They probably would have said happy trails to Brandon Aiyuk as well other than for the fact it’s not certain the veteran will be healthy in time for the 2025 season. Don’t get me wrong, Aiyuk is a great player and schematic fit for the 49ers; however, no sound of mind team would give up significant capital for a player who may not be ready to play in September.
49ers took an EDGE rusher 11th overall that isn’t a proven pass rusher
A lot of draft analysts that I respect admire Mykel Williams. Yes, the Georgia defense doesn’t put players in a position to pin their ears back and go get the quarterback. Still, if I were to draft an EDGE defender in the first half of the first round, I want to know that he can generate pressures at a high level.
We’ve seen this prototype fail to live up to expectations time and time again. Run-first EDGE’s simply aren’t worth taking as early as the 49ers selected Williams.
Seattle Seahawks
You have to admire that Seattle isn’t afraid to fail
The Seahawks traded away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. Sure, they replaced them with Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp who are probably more short-term fixes.
It may all blow up spectacularly for Mike MacDonald and John Schneider. The roster math might look better on paper than it does on the field. I still appreciate that their approach to the offseason was refreshing. Out with the old, in with the new even if for only the sake of change.
Lettin’ it fly. @JalenMilroe ➡️ @arroyo_elijah36 pic.twitter.com/nfBw6vJ7tu
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 5, 2025
What is this receiver room?
Seattle already had slot receiver in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who came on strong towards the end of last season. They brought in a somewhat similar player in Cooper Kupp, although you’d think Kupp would be best-suited to play inside in the final stages of his career.
The vertical threat for the offense if Marquez Valdes-Scantling who hasn’t been able to produce consistently despite catching passes from Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes for most of his career. Tory Horton and Jake Bobo aren’t players who scare you from an athleticism standpoint.
Are we sure about this one?
