NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• Regarding the six-year contract signed by 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, Albert Breer of SI.com guesses that it will put Shanahan in the “eight-figure club” which he says is around $10 million per year or more.
• The Athletic’s Matt Barrows points out that before the extension, Bengals HC Zac Taylor was scheduled to make more than Shanahan in 2020. He adds the deal between San Francisco and Shanahan was done before the NFL Draft in April and didn’t leak until now. 
• As for 49ers GM John Lynch, who signed a contract for the same length when he was hired alongside Shanahan, Barrows says there’s less of a rush to get his deal done as it ranks in the top quarter of NFL general manager salaries. 
• There’s also a sense Lynch could be waiting to see what happens with the market after Seahawks GM John Schneider and Saints GM Mickey Loomis sign new deals, per Barrows. 
• Per NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, the negotiations between the 49ers and TE George Kittle remain quiet, though Kittle’s agent reaffirmed he’s not just seeking to reset the tight end market with his next deal: “George is a very special player. He needs a special contract.” 

Rams

The Rams will be breaking in a few new additions on offense this year, including finding a replacement at running back for Todd Gurley and figuring out another receiver to take the place of Brandin Cooks. But while they have a new offensive coordinator in Kevin O’Connell, the Rams still run the same system under HC Sean McVay, which QB Jared Goff sees as an advantage going into 2020. 

“It’s so fluid, it changes every week at this point,” Goff said via the Los Angeles Daily News’s Kevin Modesti. “It’ll be good that the whole league will have to stick to a similar program, so there won’t be any disadvantage in that way. I do think we [the Rams] have an advantage offensively with the same system, the same players and everything. Our defense is obviously going to have to get on the grass and learn their new system.”

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer mentions McVay as a likely member of the $10 million a year in salary club among NFL head coaches.

Seahawks

This year’s class of rookies and undrafted free agents has already missed the opportunity to prove itself early on the field at OTAs and minicamp. Their narrow window could close even further if the NFL reduces its slate of preseason games from four to two. Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said the final two preseason games have traditionally been huge for his staff in evaluating young players with hopes to stick on the final roster. 

“I think the number one thing that it changes is the opportunity for the young guys to show themselves,” Carroll said via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Ben Arthur. “So if that were to take place [two preseason games] — although I’m really impressed with our young guys and how they’ve learned and how they’ve applied themselves up to this point — but still, there just might not be enough time to really give them the chance. So they might be behind in that area a little bit. . . . Maybe the free agent doesn’t get as many opportunities as he needs to show. The last two [preseason] games are so important and so crucial for a young guy trying to make a club, so I don’t think that would be the area of focus.”