NFC Notes: 49ers, Brock Purdy, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers TE George Kittle said there were three moments that definitively showed him seventh-round QB Brock Purdy was a player. Kittle has said Purdy deserves to be in the driver’s seat to start for San Francisco next season. 

“In chronological order, there were three things that happened: First, in OTAs, I lie to throw jabs at rookies, see how they are, like are you going to jab back? Are you confident in yourself?” Kittle said via Pro Football Talk. “Brock would fire back at me and zingers. Like, OK, Brock, I love it. I like that confidence.”

“In the third preseason game against the Houston Texans, he throws a laser right down the middle of the field,” Kittle added. “Beautiful pass. I was like, that’s an NFL pass. That’s a quarterback who can play in the NFL. And then, he gets a shot against Miami, and the very first play it’s cover zero, he delivers. A guy who can do that under pressure and doesn’t flinch, he can win games.”

Cardinals

• Mary Kay Cabot reports that Browns QB coach Drew Petzing is a leading candidate and possible No.1 choice of Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon should he be hired as the head coach of the Cardinals.

Seahawks

• The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar notes the challenge between the Seahawks and QB Geno Smith in negotiations is there aren’t any clean comparisons to set a market, as Smith’s career is a unique one. 
• Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is one but he had a little more leverage than Smith did. Dugar notes Giants QB Daniel Jones could offer some precedence for Smith and the Seahawks, as well as the $32.4 million franchise tag. 
• CBS Sports analyst and former agent Joel Corry tells Dugar it doesn’t sound like Smith and his agent want to push their leverage to the fullest extent with the Seahawks, at least not at the expense of him signing elsewhere. Corry points out Smith saying he wanted to “repay” the Seahawks for believing in him: “You’re not squeezing them for everything you can get with that type of statement.”
• Smith later said he wants a deal that gives him “respect” and both sides have expressed a lot of interest in working something out. Corry thinks the chances are good Smith stays with the Seahawks: “Obviously it’s much better for them to say they want him back as opposed to, ‘We’ll evaluate all our options,’ or, ‘We’ll have to see how everything shakes out.’ So, this is a deal that should get done. All parties want to be there.”