Things happen in the NFL and just hours after news broke that Tom Brady could very well retire after 22 seasons, the landscape around the NFC could change drastically over the next few weeks.

With such a sudden change, the question has to be asked, could Brady walking away from the game induce Howie Roseman to potentially change his approach to the 2022 offseason and the Eagles quarterback position as a whole?

Here’s a brief breakdown of how Brady’s retirement could impact the Buccaneers and the potential trickle-down impact, coupled with an assessment of the NFC as a whole.

Brady's impact on the Bucs

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Byron Leftwich is likely to land a head coaching job, Leonard Fournette could exit in free agency, along with Ronald Jones and Chris Godwin. Brady exiting would force Tampa Bay to once again assess the quarterback position via free agency or the NFL draft.

NFC East

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In the NFC East, Dallas is still the most talented team today, but Dak Prescott may or may not be a shell of himself, while Mike McCarthy could be replaced by Dan Quinn if the Cowboys get off to a slow start.

Washington and the New York Giants are still in the midst of rebuilds.

NFC North


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In the NFC North, the Vikings and Bears are hiring new regimes, while the Lions are still the Lions and Green Bay’s fate could rest on how Aaron Rodgers feels and Davante Adams’ asking price.

NFC South

Saints’ Alvin Kamara (41) rushes against the Eagles Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020 in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 24-21.
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It was assumed that Tampa Bay would be returning to power in the division along with the Saints, Panthers, and Falcons who are retooling or hiring new coaches (New Orleans).

Brady’s news, coupled with pending free agent and staffing losses could make this division a little less dangerous.

NFC West

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals are still improving, although some will now question if Kliff Kingsbury is the coach to get them over the hump. The 49ers are solid but could take a step back in 2022 if they part ways with Jimmy Garoppolo. In Seattle, a rebuild is set to begin and it could start with Russell Wilson being traded.

The Rams are loaded from a roster perspective but will be almost $9 million over the cap in 2022 and without any significant draft capital.

Things are going to change.

Eagles perspective

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The scenario can only make sense if Howie Roseman looks around the NFC landscape and determines that there’s not one dominant team in the conference, and if Aaron Rodgers departs for say the Broncos, then the whole thing becomes up for grabs.

The Eagles have a talented running back room, will need to upgrade the wide receiver position, but will return one of the NFL’s top offensive lines in 2022. If Howie Roseman can retool the defense, then the Philadelphia GM could find himself in a scenario where he believes an elite talent at quarterback is all that separates the Birds from a return to the Super Bowl.

The conversation would be less about Jalen Hurts’ current talent level, and more about how Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodger, or Derek Carr could put Philadelphia in the hunt for an NFC title berth.

These are things that’ll be considered if Brady does indeed walk away.