NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

49ers CEO Jed York said if Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch opt to carry Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster at his current salary, even as a backup, he would support it. 

“I’m not the coach. I’m not the general manager. They have my authority to put the roster together as they see fit. If that’s what it is, then as long as we’re competing and we’re winning football games, they have the ability to do what they think is best to help us win,” York said via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “We’ve made trades and we’ve had guys that are making a lot of money who haven’t been on the field. It’s easy to say your hypothetical question, like it’s easy to go to that one but it’s not about what is one individual piece. It’s, what’s the collective? If we think it’s the best decision to have two guys that we think are very, very capable of winning football games and giving us a chance to win the Super Bowl, there’s no position [that’s] more important than that in all of sports. So, if we’re going to over-invest in something, I’d rather over-invest in the quarterback position than anything else.” 

• The Athletic’s Matt Barrows points out it would be incredibly difficult for the 49ers to carry Garoppolo on the roster until Week 1. As soon as 2021 first-round QB Trey Lance had some growing pains, there would be pressure to put Garoppolo back in.
• And if Garoppolo won a competition in training camp, it would create big questions about Lance given San Francisco’s huge investment in him. 
• Barrows adds there’s very little incentive for Garoppolo to agree to a pay cut, as he and his agent would probably prefer to have the freedom to pick their new team. 

Rams 

Rams HC Sean McVay said at the owner’s meeting on Tuesday that getting an extension in place for QB Matthew Stafford was “a big deal.”

“Anytime you’re able to solidify the quarterback position for years to come, especially when you’ve got a guy like Matthew, that’s big. And you can really see that,” McVay said, via Pro Football Talk. “I thought he did a great job working with our group. I think that says a lot about him where he did a great job working in coordination with our group to do a deal that [says], hey, he deserves all the credit. But I think he also has a big-picture understanding of, how can we structure this in a way that allows us to continue to surround him with good players? We’re very fortunate for that.”

Seahawks

Seahawks recently acquired TE Noah Fant said that he was shocked to be traded given he found out about the deal while watching TV and had to immediately fly to Seattle. 

“Just like everybody else did, which was kind of a shock to me,” Fant said, via Will Petersen of DenverFan.com. “Kind of a blow up my world a little bit. I was actually working out, out in California, and found out as it was going across the TV screen on ESPN. So, it was one of those things that was just like kind of crazy and kind of a whirlwind. And then the next couple of days, obviously, getting calls from some Broncos people, some new Seahawks coaches and staff and some players and stuff. Obviously, I had to fly out to Seattle that next day for all the physicals and stuff so the trade could be processed.”

Fant called being traded by Denver in the manner it happened a learning experience and understands that he became expendable in order to acquire Russell Wilson. 

“I thought so. Honestly, like from my perspective, I’m not going to say I’ve been the perfect prospect drafted in Denver, but I felt like I’ve done some pretty good things in Denver and had some really good moments. But you know, it’s a part of the business and I think that’s kind of what I learned the most from this whole experience. I kind of like, you know, bled blue and orange a little bit and then when it kind of comes down to it, which is totally understandable, they had a chance at Russell Wilson. But it’s kind of anybody’s expendable so it just was one of those things.”

As for the Broncos not using Fant correctly, Fant responded that he was hoping for more downfield plays and an explosive pass-catching tight end. 

“Yeah, I mean, I agree, man. I feel like when I came into the league, that’s what I was drafted to do, right? Get down the field, make those explosive plays, and kind of be that pass catching tight end. And over my time in Denver, I felt like that narrative kind of got muddled down a little bit. It was more of a focus of me catching flat balls or whatever it may be, and then trying to be a shifty guy and elusive guy and try to break as many tackles possible to get my yards. I view myself as a downfield threat, getting open space, then I can make things happen. It was a little frustrating being used in the short field.”

• Duke LB Leonard Johnson met with the Seahawks before his pro day. (Aaron Wilson)