NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• Although Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated doesn’t believe the league is necessarily “low” on 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo, he classifies him in the same category as Jared Goff and Derek Carr, who are quarterbacks who can succeed if “everything is right around them.” 
• Should the 49ers move on from Garoppolo, Breer could see them try to get younger at the position. 
• Breer adds the 49ers could be interested in Jets QB Sam Darnold, but he is unsure to what extent. 
• According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, 49ers LS Taybor Pepper‘s two-year deal includes $300,000 guaranteed. 

Rams

• The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue and Rich Hammond write that a big chunk of the Rams’ current salary cap hole will be taken out by a restructure for DT Aaron Donald that will free up about $14 million. 
• They also could free up even more space by tacking on another year onto new QB Matthew Stafford‘s deal, though it’s unclear what Stafford would think of that possibility. 
• Hammond writes there aren’t a lot of cap casualty candidates but one could be RT Rob Havenstein. He and Rodrigue also add that it appears the Rams want to do something to lower LT Andrew Whitworth‘s cap hit and that’s why the two sides haven’t committed to a return despite both appearing to want that. 
• While Rams GM Les Snead hinted that bringing back both S John Johnson and OLB Leonard Floyd is a possibility, Hammond and Rodrigue have a hard time seeing Los Angeles outbidding other suitors in free agency, and Rodrigue adds other Shanahan-offense teams could make a run at starting C Austin Blythe.

Seahawks

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was asked on the Colin Cowherd show about Seattle’s hot start to the season on offense and subsequent dropoff. His response hit on a lot of the same notes others with the team have mentioned as to why they couldn’t keep up their momentum the entire season. 

“The thing for us, we had such an amazing, electric start at the beginning of the year. We were able to do everything, we went for it every game, every play, every possession,” Wilson said via the Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar. “We hit some bumps in the road. I could have played better. I should have played better. I can do my part, too, obviously as well. I think what happened was that we had several guys go down up front, we didn’t have our starters, necessarily, and everything else.

“Also, as our defense kept continuing to play better, that’s the time for us to really take off and keep going and keep preparing at the highest level. That’s something we really wanted to be able to do throughout the rest of the season. Unfortunately, we didn’t go for it as much, I don’t think. I think we got a little bit passive. We got to make sure that never happens again. We got to make sure that we do everything we can to be playing this Sunday. That’s what it takes. We got great players, we got our best players, we got to let it go, go for it, everything else.”