NFC Notes: Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers QB Brock Purdy is entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract. CEO Jed York is expecting Purdy will receive a contract that will top the quarterback market. 

“It’s a good problem when your quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league,” York said, via David Lombardi. “It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. I don’t know how many players are making over $40 million (annually) as a quarterback right now.”

York recalled paying Jimmy Garoppolo a record contract at $27.5 million per year in 2018.

“When we signed Jimmy several years ago, it was the largest deal in the history of the NFL, for three minutes,” York said. “But Jimmy was at ($27.5 million). That’s what the market is and you have to accept the reality of the world. To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money.”

York added there is a lot of planning that goes behind planning a record deal and will lean on people like executive Paraag Marathe, GM John Lynch, and HC Kyle Shanahan, 

“There’s a lot of planning that goes into it. I’m glad we have Paraag (Marathe), J.L. (John Lynch), Kyle (Shanahan). They’re the ones that are going to figure out the details of it, and I just have to sign the check. My part in that is kind of easy.”

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon had high praise of Kyler Murray, saying the quarterback has gone “above and beyond” as a teammate. 

“Everything that we’ve asked of him, he’s went above and beyond,” Gannon said. “If you watch the tape, you know why I’m convicted. But it’s not only the tape at that position. The other things that he brings to the table as a person, as a teammate, as a competitor, I absolutely love. Saddle me up; let’s go. Just from a standpoint of respect and love and care and developing that relationship with him we kinda like hit it off. So feel really good about where he’s at and where he wants to go.”

Cardinals S Budda Baker has played alongside Murray since he was drafted in 2019. Baker thinks Murray has completely changed as a quarterback since his rookie year. 

“It’s night and day from his rookie year until now. Always a great player. (But now) a guy you can talk to, any of the players can talk to whether it’s the practice squad guys or the best players on the team. He’s around us. He jokes, cracks jokes, he talks. He’s a great leader, so definitely excited for him to continue to grow, continue to get better and lead this organization.”

Gannon is excited to have a full offseason program with Murray after recovering from an ACL injury last year. 

“That’s why I’m super excited about spring, getting to go through spring and then training camp with him because there’s some things that we want to explore that we think he can handle and there’s some things that he has brought up (and) that he wants some things added that he likes and he is comfortable with. So that’s always a coach and player thing, player and coach, which I love and I just think that him being in the spring and going through spring is really gonna help his development within our system with him as a player. I mean we changed his stance, how he took the snap and he took to it and understood the why behind it and he likes it now, but he’s gonna bank all those reps in the spring. So that’s why I say his best football is head of him, which is interesting to say because he’s played at such a high level.”

Seahawks

• Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald said OL Abraham Lucas and LB Uchenna Nwosu are “making good progress” but don’t have set timelines. (John Boyle)
• Macdonald also repeated the statement from GM John Schneider that QB Geno Smith is the starter. (Boyle)
• Regarding free agent S Jamal Adams, Macdonald said the “door isn’t closed” on a reunion. (Boyle)