NFC West Watch: Rams sign former 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Rams sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo

After one year away, an old foe of the Seattle Seahawks returns to the NFC West. Former San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has just signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Released one year into his three-year deal with the Raiders, Garoppolo is leaving Sin City for the City of Angels and returning to the Golden State.

Garoppolo’s short stint in Vegas was a bet that did not hit. He only started six games (resulting in a 3-3 record) with 1,205 passing yards, seven touchdowns against nine interceptions. After head coach Josh McDaniels was finally fired, Garoppolo found himself squarely on the bench for the remaining eight games.

Now that he is with the Rams, Garoppolo is widely expected to sit behind Matthew Stafford as his backup. Given Stafford’s constant injury history and penchant for missing at least a few games, it makes sense why Los Angeles would want a legitimate backup. Garoppolo may not be good, but he inexplicably finds himself on the winning side of games when he plays.

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Former Panthers WR, OC to reunite with Buffalo Bills

Former Panthers WR Curtis Samuel will be reuniting with former Panthers OC Joe Brady up north.

The most productive season of Curtis Samuel’s NFL career came when Joe Brady was calling the plays. And luckily for him, he’ll get to run it back with his old pal.

On Friday, the Buffalo Bills officially announced their signing of Samuel—who is shuffling north for a three-year deal worth up to $30 million. That, of course, means the former Carolina Panthers wide receiver will be reuniting with a former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator.

While being introduced to local media following the announcement, Samuel was asked why he believes he thrived under Brady in Carolina.

“Just trustin’ in him to put me in the right spots, the right location to be the best playmaker I could possibly be on the field,” he replied. “I feel like he did a great job at that.”

Brady was on the job in 2020, when Samuel tallied career-highs in receptions (77), receiving yards (851) and catch rate (79.4 percent). The dual-threat weapon also notched a career-high 200 rushing yards, making him one of three Panthers wideouts to record 1,000 yards from scrimmage during that campaign.

The former second-round pick would then catch up with Ron Rivera in Washington the next year. Brady, meanwhile, didn’t last through 2021—as he was fired during the team’s bye in Week 13.

Since then, Brady has bounced back in Buffalo—where he’s gone from quarterbacks coach to full-time offensive coordinator in just two seasons.

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Giants OLB Brian Burns asked what went wrong with Panthers

In his introductory presser on Wednesday, Giants OLB Brian Burns was asked what he believed went wrong in Carolina.

Playing super hero isn’t a game. It’s fate.

And for Brian Burns, his fate took him elsewhere this week.

On Monday, the Carolina Panthers agreed to trade the 25-year-old outside linebacker to the New York Giants in exchange for an underwhelming return of draft picks. With the new league year officially beginning on Wednesday, Big Blue wasted no time rolling Burns out to the media.

During his introductory press conference, he was asked what he believed went wrong in Carolina.

“Respect to Carolina,” Burns replied. “I really appreciate them drafting me back in ’19 and I had a great five years there. It just came to an end and we split paths. But I’m just super excited to be a Giant now, I’m ready to start this new journey and continue my career. I’m ready to do great things.”

He did some great things in Carolina over those five years. Burns leaves having recorded 46.0 sacks, the fifth-most in franchise history, and a pair of Pro Bowl selections.

What seemed to be a sure thing about a year ago, a long-term agreement between the Panthers and Burns was never reached. He ended up getting his wish from the Giants, who are signing him to a five-year, $141 million pact.

The deal will make Burns the NFL’s second-highest paid pass rusher in terms of annual average salary.

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Seahawks have the least dead money in the NFL for 2024 (for now)

Here’s how all 32 teams rank, from most dead money to least.

The Seahawks are heading into the 2024 offseason with less dead money than any other team in the league. That can change in a hurry and likely will in the coming weeks. For example, if Seattle were to cut strong safety Jamal Adams before June 1 they would incur a dead money hit just short of $20 million. (Around $10 million after June 1). For now, they’re still in great shape in this department, with the least dead money in the league.

Here’s how all 32 NFL teams rank going into 2024, from most dead money to least. All salary figures are according to Over the Cap.

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Ranking all 32 NFL teams by average attendance in 2023 season

Some fanbases travel a whole lot better than others…

The Seahawks are known for having one of the loudest and most dedicated home crowds in all of professional sports. However, there’s more to it than that – as we discovered in Week 17 to our chagrin some fanbases travel a whole lot better than others. Let’s see how all 32 teams stack up in average attendance for both home and road games last season.

All attendance numbers are via ESPN.

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Here are eight upcoming key dates for Seahawks fans to know.

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Bears reportedly hiring former Panthers intern Jennifer King as assistant coach

Former Panthers intern Jennifer King is reportedly headed to Chicago.

The Chicago Bears are taking another piece of the Tar Heel State up north.

As first reported by NFL Network reporter Bridget Condon on Tuesday, the Bears are set to hire Jennifer King as an offensive assistant. King, who previously spent two seasons as an intern for the Carolina Panthers, is expected to work with Chicago’s running backs.

An Eden, N.C. native, King got her NFL start with the hometown Panthers in 2018. After meeting then-head coach Ron Rivera at the league’s Women’s Forum, she was brought on as a wide receivers coach intern.

King would then get her first full-time job in pro football with the AAF’s Arizona Hotshots as an assistant wide receivers and special teams coach later that year. But after the league ceased due to bankruptcy, she returned to the Panthers as a running backs coach intern in 2019.

She’s since picked up stints as an offensive assistant at Dartmouth College in 2019 and as a coaching intern and assistant running backs coach for Rivera’s Washington Commanders between 2020 and 2023.

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Former Panthers RB Mike Davis announces retirement on 31st birthday

Mike Davis, who led the Panthers in rushing during the 2020 season, called it a career on his 31st birthday.

An old friend celebrated his birthday by opening up a new chapter in his life.

Running back Mike Davis, who turned 31 years old on Monday, announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon. Davis played in 20 games for the Carolina Panthers between 2019 and 2020.

The Atlanta, Ga. native and University of South Carolina Gamecock was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He’d spend his first two pro campaigns there, rushing for 108 yards and one touchdown over 14 outings.

Davis, who was released by San Francisco in of May of 2017, would later be claimed off waivers by the division rival Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in 21 games for Seattle—the most in any of his NFL stops—and notched 754 rushing yards and five total scores.

His brief stint for Carolina began in the middle of the 2019 campaign, when he was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Bears. Davis, who filled in for an injured Christian McCaffrey for the better part of the next season, led the team in rushing with 642 yards and six touchdowns in 2020.

He’d then suit up for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2022.

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Russell Wilson puts his mansion in Denver up for sale

Russell Wilson puts his mansion in Denver up for sale

The disastrous Russell Wilson experience in Denver will surely be studied by football fans, media analysts and public relations experts for years to come. Wilson went from being a perennial MVP candidate and surefire lock for the Hall of Fame to the league’s biggest punchline in less than two seasons.

Now Wilson will be looking for his next NFL home… and actual home, it seems. Shortly after being traded to the Mile High City, Wilson and his family purchased the most expensive mansion in the history of the Denver area. The $25 million home was located in the same neighborhood as John Elway, Peyton Manning and Mike Shanahan.

Now, the Wilson’s are reportedly taking offers on the palatial estate,

Part of what contributed to Wilson’s downfall was not just his vastly diminished play on the field, but an even more intense scrutiny of his public persona off it. By no means is Wilson a bad person, but many would agree his oddities are more than a bit peculiar. Interestingly enough, Wilson’s mansion contributed to these jokes, particularly when it came to the 12 bathrooms.

Throughout the 2022 season, fans were constantly tracking to see if Wilson had more touchdown passes than bathrooms.

Unfortunately, this joke had a rather regrettable ending for Wilson. Fans were quick to point out Wilson’s tenure in Denver ended with less wins (11) than restrooms he had.

Here’s hoping Wilson can move on from this chapter and restart his career elsewhere.

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Dissecting 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s flawed overtime decision

Dissecting 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan’s flawed OT decision

The Seattle Seahawks’ primary rival, the San Francisco 49ers, made quite the shocking move when they fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. In Super Bowl LVIII, Wilks’ unit held the Kansas City Chiefs to only 19 points and one touchdown in regulation, looking far superior when compared to San Francisco’s offense. The decision to fire Wilks has only brought further critique to embattled 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who is still under fire for his near-inexplicable decision in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII.

With both teams tied at 19-19, and San Francisco as the designated “away” team, the 49ers won the toss and chose to receive the ball first. Under the old rules, San Francisco could have won the game with a touchdown. However, the new overtime rules for the playoffs ensures both teams get a chance at possessing the ball, regardless if the first team scores a touchdown on their opening drive. Shanahan defended his position by saying they wanted the ball third, assuming the 49ers and Chiefs would both score, thus creating a “sudden death” scenario for San Francisco to win the game on said possession.

Here’s the thing, though: let’s say San Francisco scored a touchdown on their opening drive, forcing Kansas City to need a touchdown to extend the game. The Chiefs could have scored a touchdown… and attempt a two-point conversion to win the game! Sure, it’s a 50/50 proposition, one play to determine the fate of both team but does anyone seriously doubt Patrick Mahomes and Co. would have been successful? Especially since all Mahomes does is overcome seemingly insurmountable deficits in the playoffs.

If they were successful in this hypothetical scenario, then the whole “we want the ball third” philosophy goes right out the window into the trash heap of history. Essentially, these new postseason overtime rules are a full-field version of college football’s overtime where you’d want to have the ball second to have all the knowledge of what your team needs to accomplish to continue or win the game.

Additionally, Shanahan deserves further flak on account of his team seemingly not knowing the updated postseason overtime rules. Former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman put the blame on San Francisco’s veteran players, but ultimately, the responsibility for making sure players are coached up accordingly should lie with… *checks notes*… the head coach!

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