49ers

49ers TE George Kittle has questioned the motivation of WR Brandon Aiyuk and said during a recent interview that he believes the team’s issues surrounding Aiyuk impacted his contract negotiations two years ago.

“I feel like I know basically everything that’s happened and what’s gone on, and I can’t share all of that, because it’s not my business to share or tell,” Kittle said, via Pro Football Talk. “But . . . I feel like the Niners have done a very good job throughout the entire process and have tried. [Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] has tried. [G.M.] John [Lynch] has tried. Teammates have tried. And this is where we are. And so I think the organization itself has done a really good job. And like I said, I know plenty of things. . . . I don’t want to point a finger at anybody, but I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career. I feel like I’ve done it the right way as long as I can.”

“Contract negotiations are also — those are always hard for everybody,” Kittle added. “And you just try your best to not be sensitive about it. But I will say, you know, Richard Sherman gave me advice back in the day when I was going through my first contract negotiation. It was, ‘Contracts are like braces. They hurt and they suck the entire time, and then once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them. And it’s a great time.’ Like, that’s kind of the mindset you have to have, and, you know, if you get offended by something, you hold onto it, that’s kind of on you, because everybody goes through contract negotiations, and they’re all difficult.”

Cardinals

Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett said he’s very impressed with rookie QB Carson Beck and noted that he doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

“I’ll tell you, Carson works really hard,” Hackett said, via Cards Wire. “I don’t think I even knew from that standpoint how he would be, and I think he’s done a great job learning as much as he possibly can, and he’s really grasping it. But still, to get those reps is so critical at this position, and even just with pads is going to be huge because the live situations, the practice; pads, no pads, it’s so different just on the timing of the routes, how people block. Just everything is different. So, it’s just going to keep getting better, but he’s a very hard worker, and I appreciate that from him.”

Rams

After making the blockbuster trade for DE Myles Garrett this offseason, Rams CB Trent McDuffie and DC Chris Shula explained how the star pass rusher lived up to expectations on the first day of training camp.

“When he’s out there, you can just feel his aura,” McDuffie said, via Greg Beachem of the Associated Press. “[It’s just] this aura that this guy has. I mean, he’s gigantic. He’s a monster. But I’m just excited to get him out here and get him loose and get him going, because I know he has a little chip on his shoulder, and I know he’s excited about being here, so I think that just fires everybody else up.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, and it definitely lived up to it,” Shula said.