49ers
Rams HC Sean McVay said he thought the 49ers were going to take TE Kyle Pitts with the third overall pick.
“I thought there was a possibility that Kyle was going to go Pitts at three,” McVay said Peter Schrager’s Flying Coach podcast, via Pro Football Talk. “In all seriousness, because he’s such a visionary. I’m telling you, I didn’t think it was going to be a crazy thought because you go back to when New England had the two-tight end set, and they were doing things totally different. You think about what Kittle. And then, the thing that makes sense is that, hey, Jimmy [Garoppolo’s] produced all the way. This isn’t a production thing. This is an availability thing that you’re saying, ‘We can’t have that,’ like, all the things.
“But I was like, ‘If it’s not Mac Jones — and I hadn’t studied Trey, just because there wasn’t a lot of film exposure going back a couple of years, and we weren’t in that market, so I didn’t know other than watching him throw at his pro day that you’re saying, ‘Alright, you can see a lot of the things that you would like and that would make sense.’”
Cardinals
Cardinals’ WR Larry Fitzgerald will eventually be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he is currently undecided on if he will return to Arizona or retire and ride off into the sunset.
“I haven’t decided anything,” Fitzgerald said, via Rachel Nichols on ESPN. “Training camp starts in a few weeks. I’m excited, it’s going to be another great year for the NFL.”
We have him included in our Top 100 Available 2021 Free Agents list.
Seahawks
Former Seahawks CB DeShawn Shead has decided to accept the offer from HC Pete Carroll to join Seattle’s coaching staff as a defensive assistant and a defensive backs coach.
“It’s always been something I was very interested in,” Shead said, via John Boyle of Seahawks.com. “I’ve always been a captain at every level that I played, so I find myself just coaching naturally. I love to see when you tell somebody something and then teach somebody something, and they go out there do it successfully. I’ve always had that in me. One thing I was worried about with coaching football—you know, I’ve played college football and I’ve played NFL football—so what kind of scares you a little bit is the hours that you put in, right? So that was one of the things that kind of steered me away.”
Carroll notes he has always seen potential in Shead, who went from being undrafted to a special teams captain and a starting cornerback.
“We’ve stayed we stayed in contact for a couple of years here, and he’s always been one of our favorite guys because he’s just one of the most true-blue guys we’ve ever seen in the program— hard-working, dedicated smart, creative, tough,” Carroll said. “I mean he had all of the elements that we love in the program, big chip on the shoulder, he had to always prove it. So we just kept in contact, and I talked to him a few years back that, ‘If you ever thinking about it, let’s talk. There’ll be a conversation waiting for you.’ He went into the computer sales, business and just kicked butt and became one of the top salespersons in his organization in 18 months or something like that. When I hear that story I go, ‘Well, of course, that’s what Shead would do.’ So as we talked about it and as the season was approaching—we talked last year about the upcoming this year—so we just stayed with it.”
Shead noted that Carroll has previously mentioned the opportunity to him and stuck to his word about bringing him on board. He also commented on how special it is for him to remain in Seattle where he has lived for the past decade.
“So then after I was in that transition, whether I was going to play, I think it was right after the (2018) season, I remember talking to Coach Carroll, we were at Cliff Avril‘s retirement party. And he was like, ‘You know, D-Shead, I know you’re still trying to play. I know you’re going to play forever. But just to let you know, if you’re ever interested in coaching, give me a call because we’d love to have you on the staff.’ So, and that was a few years ago. So he did plant that seed. That’s the first time I remember him planting that coaching seed. It’s very special,” Shead said. “Best case scenario to come here in Seattle. We have a home here. This has been my home for the past nine, 10 years, from playing here. So to come here to a system I know, the great coaching staff—they know what it takes to win, how to build a team. You’ve got Coach Carroll that I can learn a lot from, Coach (Ken) Norton, who has a lot of knowledge, who I’ve learned so much from already. So just to come on Coach Norton’s staff was a blessing to have this opportunity and start here, and I’m glad I’m here.”
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