NFC West Notes: 49ers, Sam Darnold, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• According to Tom Pelissero, 49ers QB Sam Darnold‘s one-year deal with the 49ers has a base value of $4.5 million and includes $3.5 million guaranteed. The deal will max out at $11.5 million with incentives for playtime, playoffs, wins, and passer rating. 
• Albert Breer adds that Darnold’s deal includes a $1 million signing bonus, a $2.45 million base,  $1 million in per-game roster bonuses, a $500,000 workout bonus, and $7 million in incentives.
• Zack Rosenblatt reports that the Jets offered C Jake Brendel more money than the 49ers yet he opted to remain with San Francisco.
• 49ers DT Javon Hargrave signed a four-year, $84 million deal that includes a $23 million signing bonus and base salaries of $1.165 million, $8.885 million, $19.9 million, and $21.65 million, plus two void years. His 2023 and 2024 base salaries are guaranteed. (Over The Cap)
• Hargrave is also due a $6 million option bonus in 2024. The contract includes up to $750,000 annually in per-game active roster bonuses and a $100,000 annual workout bonus. Those bonuses are guaranteed in 2023 and the workout bonus in 2024 is also guaranteed. 

Cardinals

• Aaron Wilson mentions that the Cardinals re-signed OT Kelvin Beachum to a two-year, $5.15 million deal, including $3.26 million guaranteed, a $2.095 million signing bonus, salaries of $1.165 million guaranteed, $1.21 million, an annual $20,000 per game active roster bonus, and $1.45 million in playtime incentives for 2024.

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay gave updates on injured offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Joseph Noteboom, and Brian Allen during a press conference. Jackson has dealt with blood clots, Noteboom tore his Achilles, and Allen had several issues with his knee, calf, and thumb.

McVay mentioned that all will be ready for the off-season program.

“Yeah, so AJ’s doing well. He had to just get on medicine and he’s feeling good and to my understanding, he’s going to be clear to return and it’s a blessing that we were able to find that out and he was able to kind of get that under control But he’s feeling good. He looks good. Excited to be able to get him back out on the field,” McVay said, via RamsWire.com. “Joe will probably be a guy that we’ll be monitoring throughout the course of the offseason, but then once training camp rolls around he’ll be ready to go. And to my understanding, Brian is feeling good. I had a lot of different little injuries here and there. But to my understanding from talking with Reggie (Scott) and those guys, his knee is feeling good. He had a calf strain, he had a thumb issue that he had dealt with, but both of those things should be feeling good around this time and when the offseason is due to kick off.”

• According to Justin Melo, Purdue TE Payne Durham had formal interviews with the Broncos and Buccaneers at the Combine and will soon meet with the Bears, Bills, Cowboys, and Rams.

Seahawks

While the Seahawks didn’t know QB Geno Smith could be quite as good as he ended up being in 2022, GM John Schneider said a consistent message from the coaching staff was that they did have something in Smith. 

“The coaching staff was so strong on him in terms of, ‘he can handle this, he can operate at a high level,’” Schneider said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Everyone thought he played well when he played in those three games [in 2021], too. The first game he played, unfortunately Tyler [Lockett] gets tripped and falls down, and he throws a pick and the game’s over. But he was humming right before that and had a chance to go down and win the game. Played well against the Saints, played well against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. He had a real nice stretch.” 

Seattle’s confidence in Smith was rewarded at the bargaining table, as it set the tone for contract talks between the two which took a collaborative tone. 

“His representation, they were so calm and easy to work with—challenging, great questions but not in a condescending manner,” Schneider said. “It really was like we were working together. We were working together. It’s not like someone was trying to get over, like Team A was trying to get over on Team B. It was very collaborative. It was not in the media. We didn’t have to worry about Chafie going to the media to get his point across. We were able to just talk through our differences in a really professional manner.”

• Seahawks DL Dre’Mont Jones said he chose Seattle because he felt that was the team that believed in him the most. (Josina Anderson)
• Jones’ three-year, $51 million deal includes a $20 million signing bonus and base salaries of $3 million, $11 million, and $16 million. His 2023 base salary is guaranteed and $7 million of his 2024 base salary becomes guaranteed shortly after the Super Bowl in 2024. There’s also up to $510,000 available each year in per-game active roster bonuses. (Over The Cap)