NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Panthers

49ers

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan made it clear during Jimmy Garoppolo‘s introductory press conference on Tuesday that they view him as their “quarterback of the future.”

“We brought him here because we want him to be the quarterback of the future,” Shanahan said, via CSN Bay Area.

Garoppolo told reporters that he’s really excited about the opportunity with the 49ers and thankful for his time in New England.

“When I first found out, I can’t even describe how excited I was,” said Garoppolo. “My time in New England was great. I thank them for everything, but coming to such a great organization, it really is a privilege. I’m excited about it. It’s going to be a good thing.”

49ers GM John Lynch says they thought about the trade for 10 minutes being jumping on it.

“Second-round picks are very valuable in this league, especially where we are as an organization,” Lynch said. “And, so, this is the guy we wanted. And we were willing to give what we thought was a very valuable commodity in exchange for him.

“We thought about if for about 10 minutes and said, ‘This is too good of an opportunity to not take advantage of.’ So we jumped at it.”

• Shanahan previously told Tony Grossi that he rated Garoppolo as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft behind only Derek Carr.

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Bruce Arians said he is “surprised” with RB Adrian Peterson‘s production since joining the team and he is preparing to use him in more passing situations.

“I’ve been really happily surprised how well AP catches the ball, we’re expanding him now that he’s been with us, learning some pass patterns as well as protections,” said Arians, via SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Cowboys

• With Ezekiel Elliott likely serving his six-game suspension, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News expects the Cowboys to use a running back by committee approach with Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Rod Smith earning a share of the carries.

Panthers

Carolina interim GM Marty Hurney tells Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer that they traded WR Kelvin Benjamin in an attempt to get more speed on the field and utilize some of their young players.

“This was more about getting more speed on the field. We’ve got some young players who we think have some real ability,” Hurney said. “Kelvin was a very good player and was productive for us. It was more getting a mix of skill sets on the field and more speed.”

Hurney later explained during an interview with 102.5 FM The Fan in Charlotte on Wednesday that they had “too many WRs with similar skill sets” and by removing Benjamin from their offense, it will allow “the run game to flourish” and “clear out the box.”

• According to Ian Rapoport, former Panthers GM Dave Gettlemen actually wanted to sign Benjamin to an extension, but the new regime did not feel the same way.
• Rapoport adds that the Panthers only discussed a trade involving Benjamin with the Bills and still managed to get a deal done in the end that improves upon what they would have received in terms of a compensatory pick.
• Following the Benjamin trade, Panthers QB Cam Newton posted on his Instagram account: “Some things you will never understand…“