NFC West Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

• Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes 49ers TE George Kittle would be justified in demanding to be paid among the league’s best pass-catchers. However, the 49ers are unlikely to pay Kittle like a wide receiver.
• Corry notes that the NFL’s 15 highest-paid pass-catchers average approximately $16.375 million per year and near $45 million in overall guarantees.

Cardinals

• Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson during a conference call that he thinks 2020 will be a “big year” for him: “I think this year is going to be big for me. I’m excited. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. It’s bigger than it’s ever been. And with this being my 10th year, I’m very optimistic. I can feel something special.” (Bob McManaman)
• Peterson said of entering the final year of his contract: “I’m very optimistic something will get done. I love it here. The front office would love for me to be here, because they know what I bring to the team. If they want to make it right & keep me here, they’ll do that.” (Bob McManaman)

Rams

Rams QB Jared Goff didn’t have the year Los Angeles might have hoped after signing a big extension during the offseason. Goff set a career-high with 16 interceptions in 2019 and had the lowest YPA and touchdown total since his abysmal rookie season while the Rams missed the playoffs. Rams HC Sean McVay retooled the staff around him, including hiring OC/QB coach Kevin O’Connell, and the team is looking for Goff to take more ownership of the offense in 2020. 

“There’s a layer, going into his fifth year … in the offense, of ownership,” O’Connell said via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “Where you feel strongly about presenting him with a plan where he can truly have some ownership, while also understanding at the end of the day that it’s just about being great with the details of doing his job… If he does his job at a really high level (and is) consistent with that, whether it be technique, fundamentals, the Xs and Os of it, maybe it’s a leadership thing, maybe it’s making sure we’re great in and out of the huddle, maybe it’s little details like that where if we can just get one or two percent better across the board at all of those different things, I think he has a chance to have a great season.”