NFC Notes: 49ers, Panthers, Saints

49ers

49ers GM John Lynch turned down a lot of money from Amazon this offseason for their TV analyst job to stay in San Francisco. A lot of money. Lynch explained how it happened and why he decided to stay, though it sounds like the offer will be standing on the table for some time. 

“One day late last season [producer Fred Gaudelli] kind of sent me a note; I said, ‘Freddie, we are in the midst of this thing, I couldn’t possibly sit down and talk with ya,’” Lynch said via the Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “Finally, for a friendship, I just relented, had no idea what they were going to dump on me. And he showed up with some execs from Amazon, we did it at my house … And next thing you know, they dropped this bomb on me, they want to hire me, and Mr. Bezos is very aware of this dinner going on. The price is really not an object. It was like, ‘Whoa, this is a lot.’ I said, ‘I can’t even think about this right now. I’ve got a duty to our team and I feel dirty even being here.’ I was just having dinner with a friend.

“At the end of the year … we didn’t finish in that championship game. And oftentimes, at the end of the season, Kyle’s just so gassed that he’ll say, ‘John, I need ya.’ And every now and then during the season, I address our team. So I just tried to put my thoughts into how we come back from a loss like that. Talked about the courage it was going to take.

“And ultimately, that’s what really got me, other than my loyalties to the York family, how good they’ve been to us, how much we’ve enjoyed this whole situation. And then primarily my relationship with Kyle, my friendship and my respect for him and the coaching staff that we have, my staff, all that weighed in. But ultimately when it came down to making that decision because the money did get ridiculous, all I could think about was getting up and talking to that team. And if I left them with unfinished business, I would never feel good. That wouldn’t sit well with me.

“I think I even surprised Kyle and Jed because they knew. They said, ‘Listen, we love you, we don’t want you to go anywhere, but that’s a hard thing to turn down.’ But ultimately, I did. And I’m happy that I did. Some weeks.”

Panthers

Panthers WR D.J. Moore doesn’t regret taking off his helmet in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, adding that while he shouldn’t have done it, he isn’t sure he would do anything differently if he had to relive the moment.

“Regrets? Nah,” he said, via ESPN. “Not to that extent. Should I not have done it? No. Did I do it? Yeah. And I own up to that. It was just like a moment type of deal. Can I say if I would do it differently at that moment? Nah, probably not.”

Moore notes that he received many comments, but none about his catch. Only negative feedback about taking off his helmet.

“That I should have just kept my helmet on,” Moore said. “That was the only response at all. It just like negates the pass. I don’t care. At the end of the day, whether I was off the field or on the field, it shouldn’t have mattered. I don’t think it was excessive, but it is what it is.”

Saints

• Saints HC Dennis Allen on WR Jarvis Landry potentially making his return from an ankle injury Monday night against the Ravens: “We’re gonna keep looking at him tomorrow, see where he’s at. But I think he’s improving.” (Mike Triplett)