NFC Notes: 49ers, Andrew Whitworth, Rams

Rams LT Andrew Whitworth appeared to find a renewed love of football after it was temporarily taken from him due to his knee injury late in the year. He said a few weeks ago it would be hard for him to retire but now that the Rams’ season is over, the 39-year-old veteran is walking back his commitment, though not ruling out a return. 

“I think with unfinished business, I think with what I’ve had to overcome this season, I would love to come back out here and compete with this football team again,” Whitworth said via Emmanuel Morgan of the Los Angeles Times. “But there are a lot of things that have to align.”

• One factor at play could be that the Rams might make the decision to move on from Whitworth this offseason, both to save cap space and to invest in his successor, per the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.

49ers

• Albert Breer writes that 49ers’ OC Mike McDaniel and DC DeMeco Ryans are both deserving of their new promotions and mentions that the team has hoped McDaniel would not move on.
• As for Ryans, Breer adds that it would not be surprising if he was a head coach in the NFL as soon as next season.
• The Athletic’s Matt Barrows lists 49ers CB Richard Sherman, S Jaquiski Tartt and nickel CB K’Waun Williams as candidates to join Saleh and the Jets in free agency. 
• 49ers CB Jason Verrett is also likely to test free agency, but Barrows writes San Francisco would like to try to get him back. 
• He adds San Francisco will also likely turn to Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris at the other starting safety spot, with potentially a mid-round rookie coming in to bolster the position as well. 

Rams

Rams CB Jalen Ramsey had a stellar year in 2020 in his first full season in Los Angeles. He was a true difference-maker and pretty close to a lockdown corner. While the team didn’t have as much success as it might have envisioned when making the trade to land him last year, Ramsey said there’s a lot of positives to take into 2021. 

“The year didn’t end how we wanted it to as a team, but there are some positives to take away from it,” Ramsey said via Stu Jackson of the team’s website. “Personally, for me, I feel like I had probably my best year in my NFL career thus far. I feel like I put out the best body of work out that I’ve ever put out.”

• The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue points out that if the Rams end up hiring former Falcons interim HC Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, he has a lot of familiarity with HC Sean McVay and the flexibility to run Los Angeles’ 3-4 base defense.