The NFC West arrives at the 2026 season as one of the NFL’s strongest divisions. The Seattle Seahawks captured Super Bowl LX in convincing fashion, the Los Angeles Rams reached the NFC Championship Game and the San Francisco 49ers finished 2025 within two games of winning the division. According to ESPN, three of the division’s teams rank among the top five in its Football Power Index entering 2026.
The division also got tougher in the offseason. The Rams acquired defensive star Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, the 49ers added veteran receiver Mike Evans and saw key players Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle return from injury, and the Seahawks kept most of the core from their championship team. The Arizona Cardinals made organizational changes as well, hiring former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as head coach and releasing quarterback Kyler Murray.
On the 49ers, reporter Nick Wagoner called the signing of Mike Evans the club’s most consequential move. Wagoner noted Evans’ proven résumé and described the addition as part of a shift back toward adding veteran talent after last year’s roster reset. According to Wagoner, Evans’ presence should provide an immediate target for Brock Purdy and a veteran mentor for younger receivers, with Evans participating without restrictions in the offseason program.
Rams reporter Sarah Barshop said trading for Garrett altered Los Angeles’ offseason trajectory. Barshop pointed to the Rams’ late-season defensive struggles — allowing 31 points in each of their three playoff games — and cited ESPN Research showing Los Angeles surrendered 27.3 points per game from Week 13 through the postseason, the seventh-worst mark in the NFL. Barshop described Garrett as a potential closer on defense for a team that has been searching for that kind of presence since Aaron Donald’s retirement.
For the Cardinals, reporter Josh Weinfuss identified the release of Kyler Murray as the single biggest offseason development. Weinfuss wrote that cutting Murray returns Arizona to a familiar position of searching for a starting quarterback and will have long-term implications for the franchise as it moves forward under LaFleur.
