The NFC West had three playoff teams in the 2025 NFL Season, and that could again be the case here in 2026. Unsurprisingly, Seattle and Los Angeles were the two remaining teams in the NFC, and no one would have been surprised had the Rams won it all.
Given how this offseason has gone, we could again see the Seahawks and Rams atop the conference. And heck, we can't rule out San Francisco from making some noise in 2026, either.
Now that free agency is about done, let's power rank the NFC West.
Ranking the deep NFC West as the free agency period rolls on in 2026
4. Arizona Cardinals
It's hard to find much of anything to like with the Arizona Cardinals for 2026, but it does appear to be rather clear that this team is not necessarily trying to win games and instead may have their eyes set up making a run at one of the top quarterbacks for the 2027 NFL Draft.
What might end up being the case is the Cardinals barely win much of anything in 2026, clinch one of the top picks in the 2027 draft, land a top quarterback prospect, and will have already spent a ton of money in free agency in preparation of that rookie's arrival.
However, 2026 feels like it's over before it even begins.
3. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a very good football team that cannot seem to consistently shake this injury bug. This weird electrical substation theory seems to have made its rounds throughout the NFL landscape, as some now think the 49ers have been negatively impacted by that.
Anyway, they were within just one game of clinching the top NFC seed in 2025, so we can't pretend like this team isn't a borderline juggernaut. Kyle Shanahan knows how to win football games and is going to have his team ready to roll each week. Right now, though, they are, comfortably, the third-best team in the division.
2. Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl champions haven't done a heck of a lot in free agency. They lost former key players in Kenneth Walker III and Riq Woolen to new teams, so this roster has taken a step back. However, John Schneider typically always has a plan, and with this team having just won it all, there is no reason to believe he isn't trying to put this team in a position to do it again.
We may just truly have to be patient, as there are likely more moves coming, but the Seahawks front office did not want to get burned in free agency by overpaying for players, and we could see all of Devon Witherspoon, Sam Darnold, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba get extensions here in the near future.
1. Los Angeles Rams
Les Snead is at it again. The Los Angeles Rams General Manager shored up the secondary with a pair of ex-Kansas City Chiefs in Trent McDuffie via trade and Jaylen Watson in free agency. All of a sudden, the main weakness on the Rams roster is filled and honestly a bit of a strength.
The Rams are the best team in the NFC West at the moment and clearly want to make a legitimate Super Bowl run in 2026 after being heartbroken in 2025. Given how well Matthew Stafford played last year, there is reason to believe this team could win it all.