NFC Notes: Brandon Aiyuk, Geno Smith, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

NFL insider Adam Schefter is bullish on the possibility of San Francisco trading WR Brandon Aiyuk.

“The 49ers do not want to and do not intend to trade Brandon Aiyuk, despite the fact that he has asked the team officially to move on from him,” Schefter wrote, via Niners Wire. “And really, what this comes down to is, there is a disagreement on his value. The wide receiver market this offseason has shifted in front of everybody’s eyes. If you look at all the wide receiver deals that have gotten done and the average annual salaries paid to wide receivers, you will see that the number has grown very much and very quickly to the point where what the Niners are offering Brandon Aiyuk isn’t in there.”

• Mike Florio mentioned Aiyuk had suitors willing to pay the price he wanted: “I’m told that there were five teams during the draft that were willing to give Brandon Aiyuk the money he wanted but they couldn’t work out a deal.” (Pat McAfee Show)

Cardinals

Cardinals LT Paris Johnson mentioned how he worked to gain the respect of Arizona’s locker room before becoming a leader on their offensive line, 

“I came in knowing I was going to be a huge part of this team starting that first year but at the same time, I never wanted to be that guy who comes in the first year and says, ‘This is my room now,'” Johnson said, via Darren Urban of the team’s site. “I want to be able to add to the room and I want to be respected by the room before my leadership role begins to develop and become more established.”

Johnson is looking forward to lining up at left tackle and playing a pivotal part of pass protection as Kyler Murray‘s blindside blocker. 

“I think that’s what I might be most excited about,” Johnson said. “Especially when the protections are the longer ones and are one-on-one, (those) I tend to love the most, because halfway through the play if you are locking them up and you know they can’t go anywhere, you start to smile a little bit. ‘Oh dude — ball’s gone. Ball is gone and it’s going to be a touchdown, it’s going to be a huge gain.'”

Johnson plans on speaking up as a leader more often in 2024. 

“It’s all about respect,” Johnson said. “I’m still trying to grow, but also speaking up more, especially at left tackle, which is a whole different role.”

Seahawks

Seahawks QB Geno Smith was one of the great late-success stories in 2022 as he had his breakout year in his age-32 season. Smith still feels like he’s improving and isn’t worried about the rumors of Seattle going in a different direction. 

“I’m still getting better,” Smith said, via John Boyle of the team’s website. “I’ve made leaps and bounds physically, I’m still getting stronger at my age. I don’t know if that’s rare or not, but that’s something I’m doing. I’ve gotten faster, I don’t think I’ve ever thrown the ball as good as I am right now. I’m in a really good place, just accuracy wise, and I can throw the ball farther than I ever have. That’s the reason why I think I can still improve, because I work hard and I push myself, and I’m seeing the improvements within myself. The outside noise never bothered me and never will; I know internally what I can do, and I know I’m still not a finished product.”