NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

“You don’t want to get me started, dude,” Shanahan said. “That was frustrating. I was in Cabo. I was studying it all. … I remember looking through it because everybody was telling me it was a possibility. Stafford’s the man. I studied him hard coming out of college, and you always play against him, so you know how good he is. But to know he might be available and to spend two weeks really watching him, Sean, yeah, he’s better than I realized. He was the man. He’s actually underrated to me. I know how good of a guy you got. I know how good he is at play-action. I know how smart he is. Not only does he just have a big arm, but he’s got touch, he knows where to go with the ball. So I was trying to get involved in it.”

Shanahan recalled being in Cabo with his wife when he concluded his phone call with the Lions, who initially assured him that a deal with another team wasn’t imminent. However, he received another call while out at dinner describing that he needed to reach Stafford’s representation immediately. 

“I remember Saturday I was so stressed out and finally we talked to someone, it was seven at night, and they’re like, ‘No, nothing’s happening (with a trade) at the earliest until tomorrow, so you can finish your night.’ So I’m like, alright, I’m done. I put my phone down, talk to Mandy. I’m like, alright, ‘Let’s go out to dinner, let’s have some drinks.’ Half an hour later, my buddy calls me and is like, ‘I’m just telling ya, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? We just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We’ll talk to them tomorrow.’ ‘I’m just telling you, you need to talk to him right now.’ And then it was all over.”

Shanahan thinks if he was present during negotiations that he would’ve made it more difficult for the Rams to acquire Stafford. 

“The fact I was in Cabo, man, I would have been there, and I would have made it really awkward on you two to enjoy it,” Shanahan said. “You would have had to tell me to leave.”

Cardinals

• Adam Beasley of ProFootballNetwork, citing a source within the Cardinals, reports that RB Chase Edmonds is a favorite to be their No. 1 running back ahead of James Conner. 
• Beasley writes that the Cardinals showed their commitment to Edmonds by not selecting a running back in the 2021 NFL Draft. 
• Beyond that, a source tells Beasley that Conner appeared to still be a little banged up during spring ball. 

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay believes retired C John Sullivan and S Eric Weddle are two former players who would “make seamless transitions” into coaching. Sullivan spent 2017-2018 in Los Angeles, while Weddle played his final year in 2019. 

“Couple guys that I think would make seamless transitions. When we first got here, a guy we put a lot on his shoulders who was so smart – if he wanted to, I think that John Sullivan would make a great coach,” said McVay, via The Ringer’s Flying Coach with Sean McVay and Peter Schrager. 

McVay mentioned that former Rams and current Browns S John Johnson III is a player in the same mold as Weddle.

“But if I were to say a couple guys that you’ve really been around, here’s the guys that I would really say just in the short amount of time the four years that I’ve been a head coach. John Sullivan and Eric Weddle are unbelievably smart players. I think John Johnson, who’s going onto the Browns, is in that same sort of mold as what Eric is. Great communicators, charisma, presence. I think John Johnson would be outstanding.”