The initial wave of the NFL offseason saw a bunch of AFC teams load up while most of the NFC went the other way.
Maybe that's why Tom Brady decided he wasn't quite ready for retirement life.
Brady and Aaron Rodgers still reside in the NFC, as does Matthew Stafford. After that, the list of quarterbacks isn't all that impressive.
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The 49ers still haven't found a taker for Jimmy Garoppolo, but that hasn't stopped them from rising up the NFC rankings as other teams lost key players to free agency.
Here's how the NFC power rankings look as the 2022 NFL Draft approaches.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: After a 40-day retirement party, Tom Brady decided he wasn't going anywhere and the Bucs went to work putting a Super Bowl-caliber team together.
Center Ryan Jensen, cornerback Carlton Davis, and wide receiver Chris Godwin are back. The Bucs acquired Shaq Mason to fill the hole at guard left by Alex Cappa's departure, and they signed Russell Gage to give Brady another weapon in the passing game.
San Francisco 49ers
Bruce Arians' retirement also means Brady should have even more say in the offense. Now, the Bucs just have to convince Rob Gronkowski to come back for one final (?) run.
2. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams were always going to lose some key players this offseason and watching Von Miller and Darious Williams leave undoubtedly hurt them.
But Los Angeles signed linebacker Bobby Wagner and star receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson and Cooper Kupp will be a dangerous duo for Matthew Stafford and the Rams still are interested in bringing back Odell Beckham Jr.
They are the champs and are well-positioned to defend their title.
3. 49ers: No, the 49ers haven't traded Jimmy Garoppolo yet, but this is Trey Lance's team. And a loaded one at that.
The 49ers return Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle on offense and still have a good offensive line despite losing Laken Tomlinson in free agency.
The addition of cornerback Charvarius Ward will help the secondary. San Francisco still needs to add a pass rusher and depth on the offensive line. But the 49ers have one of the best rosters in the NFL and should be a threat to win the NFC.
Now, about Jimmy G ...
4. Green Bay Packers: Getting Aaron Rodgers to stay was the most important box to check for the Packers. They did that but then the roster started to fall apart.
The Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders and then lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency. That means Rodgers' top two targets on the outside are gone. The Packers have to draft a receiver with one of their two first-round picks. Hell, maybe take two.
Green Bay brought back Preston Smtih, De'Vondre Campbell, and Rasul Douglas on defense but had to let Za'Darius Smith go.
As long as they have Rodgers, the Packers will be Super Bowl contenders, but the roster is undeniably worse than it was when they walked off Lambeau Field in January after losing in the divisional round.
5. Arizona Cardinals: It's time for Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray to prove they can win late in the season and in the playoffs.
Arizona brought back tight end Zach Ertz and running back James Conner, but needs to address the wide receiver position after Christian Kirk left for Jacksonville. On defense, the Cardinals lost Chandler Jones and released Jordan Hicks to clear the way for 2021 first-round pick Zaven Collins.
As long as Murray can stay healthy, the Cardinals should be one of the best teams in the NFC. But after back-to-back late-season stumbles, Arizona has questions to answer.
6. Dallas Cowboys: The bill finally came due for Dallas.
With the Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott extensions kicking in, the Cowboys had to trade Amari Cooper for peanuts, let Cedric Wilson and Connor Williams walk in free agency, and released La'el Collins. They were set to re-sign Randy Gregory, but the edge rusher changed his mind at the last second and left for the Denver Broncos.
Dallas went from one of the most talented teams in the conference to the middle of the road.
CeeDee Lamb will show his worth as a No. 1 receiver, but the loss of Cooper is massive. At least they were able to bring back Michael Gallup.
The Cowboys will compete for the playoffs, but don't be surprised if the Eagles catch them in the NFC East.
7. Philadelphia Eagles: Philadelphia is a team on the rise and the Eagles should get an influx of talent with their three first-round picks.
The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in football. The addition of Hasson Reddick to a defensive line that includes Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Javon Hargrave makes that line elite as well.
Philadelphia still needs a wide receiver to put opposite DeVonta Smith and has work to do in the secondary. But the Birds are coming.
8. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings elected to undergo a soft rebuild, whatever the hell that means.
Minnesota has been stuck in mediocrity for several seasons. The Vikings brought in a new general manager and new head coach but elected to bring back the nucleus of a team that underachieved under former head coach Mike Zimmer.
Justin Jefferson is a star and Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in football. But the offensive line is bad and Kirk Cousins is still just Kirk Cousins.
On defense, the Vikings added Za'Darius Smith and Jordan Hicks. That should help but Minnesota needs that unit to be a lot better in 2022 to contend.
9. Washington Commanders: Carson Wentz has his problems but he is still the best quarterback Washington has had in a number of years. In fact, he's the best quarterback star receiver Terry McLaurin will have had during his NFL career. That says more about the state of the Commanders than it does Wentz.
McLaurin and tight end Logan Thomas are good weapons but the Commanders need more pass-catchers.
On defense, the front four has to be better than it was a season ago to make up for the deficiencies at linebacker and corner.
There's potential in D.C. but a lot is riding on Wentz, and I'm not one to bet on a guy who was just jettisoned by one of his last remaining defenders after one season in Indy.
10. New Orleans Saints: Without Sean Payton at the helm, the Saints are one of the most intriguing teams in the NFC.
They tried to trade for Deshaun Watson but lost out to the Cleveland Browns, so they are running it back with Jameis Winston. Winston was good for the Saints last season before tearing his ACL. The return of Michael Thomas should help the offense but Terron Armstead is a big loss on the offensive line.
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New Orleans also lost safety Marcus Williams but the Saints were able to fill that hole with Marcus Mayes. The Saints have a lot of talent but there are a lot of unknowns as New Orleans prepares for the draft.
11. Seattle Seahawks: The Russell Wilson era officially ended and now a rebuild begins in the Pacific Northwest.
Settle has the talent to be competitive but going with Drew Lock at quarterback is a tough sell. The Seahawks don't have an answer at either tackle position and Jamal Adams' contract makes it hard for Seattle to fill the holes on its defense. Don't expect a lot from the 'Hawks this season.
12. Detroit Lions: Year 2 of Dan Campbell's rebuild will get the "Hard Knocks" treatment, and I, for one, can't wait.
The Lions added D.J. Chark to a group of pass-catchers that includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. Hockenson, and Josh Reynolds. Jared Goff is back as the starter and will be behind a great offensive line anchored by Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Penei Sewell.
The defense still is a work in progress but don't be surprised if the Lions get a couple more kneecaps this season.
13. New York Giants: The Giants appear to have nailed the front office and head coach hires in Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. That's great. The rest? Not so much.
Daniel Jones returns to play behind an offensive line comprise of turnstiles. The Giants aren't getting any trade interest for Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay's contract appears to be a massive issue and they lost defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to the Raiders. New York has the No. 5 and No. 7 picks in the draft. They have to hit on both or else the rebuild is going to take even longer.
14. Chicago Bears: The Bears have entered a rebuild in Year 2 of Justin Fields' rookie contract. Suboptimal.
Allen Robinson left in free agency and the Bears traded Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The offensive line is a mess and there are question marks at all three levels of the defense. Sorry, Justin.
15. Carolina Panthers: Carolina lost out on Deshaun Watson and now either has to go with Sam Darnold, trade for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, or reach at No. 6 in the draft and take Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett. Not a great position to be in.
They do have weapons in D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall, and Christian McCaffrey. But banking on Sam Darnold to take you to the playoffs is a horrible spot to be in.
16. Atlanta Falcons: You want to see the worst roster in the NFL? Head on down to Mercedes-Benz Stadium next season.
I loved the Marcus Mariota signing. He's a good stop-gap option who deserves a second chance. He'll be comfortable in Arthur Smith's system after their time together in Tennessee. Unfortunately, Mariota will have no pass-catching weapons outside of Kyle Pitts and will be behind one of the most putrid offensive lines in the league. Hope your legs are rested, Marcus.