Who's on first?

There's one question that best illustrates just how wide open the NFC is in 2023.

Who’s the best quarterback in the Seahawks’ conference?

Seriously. With Aaron Rodgers moving from the Packers to the Jets, joining Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen and Joe Burrow in the AFC, who’s the best quarterback in what is quickly becoming the NFL’s other conference.

The correct answer is Dak Prescott though I expect a vehement argument on that point. After all, the playoffs are where quarterbacks are ultimately measured and Prescott is 2-4 as a starter in the postseason. Not only that, he’s been bounced from the playoffs by the 49ers the past two seasons including a particularly poor game he played in the divisional round last season. Also, there’s this exceptionally weird reality that the Cowboys are the most over-covered team in the league¹ yet their past two quarterbacks have been largely underrated.²

Tony Romo was a hell of a quarterback. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved to make fun of him, too. One of the most exciting moments I’ve ever witnessed was when Jordan Babineaux tackled Romo from behind in that 2006 playoff game.³ I was actually on the sidelines at what was then Qwest Field when it happened with a clear of sight to Romo. I swear I heard the ball thud off Romo’s hands on the snap though that is impossible it was so freaking loud at the stadium. Then, Romo picked it up and began to run toward a clear lane into the end zone only to be tackled from behind by Babineaux. Now, the game wasn’t over. In fact, the Seahawks were in a terrible position when they took over on downs, but Romo sitting flat on his butt, hands gripping his facemask is the enduring image of what turned out to be the final game Bill Parcells ever coached.

Wait. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Quarterbacks in the NFC. Like Romo, Prescott has been – by even the most critical assessment – a very good NFL quarterback and in spite of this there are plenty of people who will argue that he is average or worse, has some sort of choking tendency in the biggest moments that renders all his regular-season effectiveness moot.

My point isn’t to argue Prescott’s merits on their own, but to point out the fact I believe him to be the best of all the quarterbacks in the NFC entering this season says something about the wide open nature of the conference this year. In fact, when I asked a fellow Apostrophian to answer the question of the best QB in the conference, he provided a list filled with contingencies:

So as we shift from a Mariners season that is quickly turning cadaverous, I’m going to provide my definitive pecking order for the conference’s quarterbacks with the biggest question attached to each one.