NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo explained the value of throwing to receivers in offseason workouts. 

“It’s valuable whenever you get an opportunity to get on a field with guys — without coaches — and be able to talk,” Garoppolo said. “Really, out here I like to hear how they’re seeing things, too. I like to teach them a route, how I see it and ask them, ‘How do you see it?’ Because in practice you don’t get that time. Because out here it’s a unique experience. Guys kind of get to let loose a little bit, too. So it makes things fun.”

Garoppolo has worked with a number of players this offseason including Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd, Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Juszczyk, Dante Pettis, Shawn Poindexter, Trent Taylor and Chris Thompson.

• According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, 49ers’ first-round WR Brandon Aiyuk recently recovered from the core-muscle surgery he underwent prior to the 2020 NFL Draft.

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said last week that they’re done with the virtual offseason meetings for veteran players, but rookies will remain involved.

“We’re running out of ideas without actually taking it to the field and actually executing it,” Kingsbury said, via NFL.com. “You can only cover so many things without actually practicing it. We’ve about reached that point.”

• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes the Cardinals are one of 11 teams where QB Colin Kaepernick would be a fit. 

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll says they’ve made “incredible progress” during the virtual offseason. 

“I am so fired up about what we have been able to accomplish during this time,” Carroll said, via Seahawkswire.com. “We didn’t have a clue what was going to happen here. And I asked the coaches to use every ounce of their creativity that they could, and their energy that they could to keep the meetings proactive and involved and upbeat and moving in like we always like to do and didn’t know if that would translate.

“But it has and we’ve made incredible progress. I think we’re smarter at this point, because of the added time that we’ve had to work and really focus on the mental side of it than we’ve ever been.”