The Green Bay Packers shocked the NFL world Thursday, agreeing to a trade that sends five-time Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Adams had spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Packers, becoming one of the best receivers in the game while catching passes from star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He'll now be the new favorite target of Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr for years to come after reportedly landing a five-year extension with his new team.
49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, who is due for a significant raise himself, went to Twitter to react to the breaking news. He believes the trade means an easier path through the NFC to Super Bowl LVII for the Niners.
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Samuel is not wrong. The Packers rode the Rodgers-Adams connection to three consecutive 13-win seasons and a pair of NFC Championship Game appearances over the last three campaigns.
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Quarterback Russell Wilson, a longtime nemesis of San Francisco, was traded out of the conference from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos in early March.
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The 49ers have plenty to figure out themselves, most notably where to trade veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but perhaps the NFC does look a bit easier in the early days of the new league year.