NFC West

In his first game as starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Trey Lance offered a tantalizing glimpse of what fans can expect during the regular season.

The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft played the first two series against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on Friday night. He led two scoring drives, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Danny Gray.

The touchdown was Lance's final play of the day, as he was replaced by Nate Sudfeld on San Francisco's next offensive possession. The 22-year-old finished 4-of-5 for 92 yards and a score through the air. He also had a seven-yard run on the team's first drive.

Lance's lone incompletion was on an out route that was thrown too high and outside. Gray was able to corral the pass, but he couldn't get his feet down inbounds.

Gray could also carve out a notable role in the offense this season. He was the Niners' third draft pick in 2022 (No. 105 overall). The SMU alum has 4.33 40-yard-dash speed and earned high marks for his ability to generate yards after the catch.

Playing in the same offense with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle can make targets difficult to come by, but Gray's budding rapport with Lance could see him get on the field frequently.

The 49ers have been successful with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback over the past three seasons. They had the best record in the NFC and reached the Super Bowl in 2019 but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game.

After a slow start last season, the 49ers won seven of their final nine games to claim a wild-card spot. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys and Packers in the playoffs, but their run came to an end with a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

Despite some uncertainty at the start of the offseason, head coach Kyle Shanahan finally declared the 49ers as Lance's team when training camp opened in July.

There will likely be some bumps in the road along the way with Lance, who had just one full year of starting experience in college at North Dakota State in 2019. But his arm strength and running talent can open up new roads for Shanahan to explore with this offense.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is dealing with a hamstring injury that will likely prevent him from taking the field during the preseason, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

However, Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season when the Niners take on the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11 at Soldier Field.

Mitchell is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. He also caught 19 passes for 137 yards and one score.

However, the 2021 sixth-round pick was in and out of the lineup while nursing a combination of knee, shoulder, head and rib injuries, in addition to a fractured finger. He did not participate in drills during OTAs in order to heal.

Mitchell returned to drills about two weeks ago, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the team would ease him back into things.

"He has looked good," Shanahan said. "He had a tough offseason just going back from injuries. He didn't get to do much in OTAs. It was great to get him out there these first three days. He is easing his way back into it. Just glad he's getting back to health."

If Mitchell is unable to play come Week 1, San Francisco has a number of talented running backs to turn to in Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon, Tyrion Davis-Price and JaMycal Hasty.

Like Mitchell, Sermon was a rookie in 2021. The 49ers selected him in the third round out of Ohio State. However, he appeared in just nine games because of injury, rushing for only 167 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson, meanwhile, has been in San Francisco since 2018. He appeared in nine contests last season, rushing for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

Davis-Price was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2022 draft out of LSU. He rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games with the Tigers during his 2021 junior season.

While losing Mitchell for any amount of time wouldn't be ideal, the Niners do have a plethora of options at the position.

The Rashaad Penny hype train has ground to a halt.

The Seattle Seahawks running back is dealing with groin tightness and is expected to sit out Saturday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rookie Kenneth Walker III should start in his place, and he received gushing praise from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who told reporters Thursday that the team would "feel comfortable with" having Walker play all three downs:

"You talk about surprises, I'm surprised. I'm surprised he's so well-rounded. A runner, he's blocking. Again I think I mentioned it the other day, but his pass-protection stuff, he just turned the page (from college). I mean, he was not very good in college as a pass protector, and we didn't know.

"But Chad's (Morton) done a great job with him and Amanda (Ruller), they've worked really hard with him, so it's important. But I think for this kid, everything is important. He wants to be great, and he's not going to let any stone be unturned. So, I'm really excited to see how he goes. He's going to get some good playing time in this game and get him comfortable with the speed of the game and all of that. I expect him to do well."

Seattle selected Walker with the No. 41 overall pick in April's draft, putting him on the radar of fantasy managers. Expectations have been tempered by the presence of Penny, who was a league-winner down the stretch last season. Penny averaged 22 fantasy points per game in points-per-reception leagues over the final five weeks of the regular season, finally realizing the massive potential that's existed since he was a first-round pick in 2018.

The Seahawks re-signed Penny to a one-year contract in the offseason, ostensibly to see whether he could continue that level of production over a full year.

Unfortunately, Penny is already dealing with a nagging soft-tissue injury. He has never played more than 14 games in a season and has played just 23 total games over the past three years. Penny has no history of being healthy long enough to be a reliable fantasy option.

At RB32 in FantasyPros average draft position, it's hard to call him a potential bust. Running backs in that range are typically crapshoots or guys who split 50-50 timeshares in shaky offenses. Penny is probably still worth taking in that spot.

That said, be ready to pounce if Walker is available in the following round. It might not be long before he grabs the job for himself.

Police cam footage of Marshawn Lynch's DUI arrest shows officers dragging the former NFL running back out of his car.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the arrest, which shows Lynch refusing to cooperate with police until one officer loses his patience, grabs Lynch by the hood of his sweatshirt and drags him to the ground. The officer then places a knee on Lynch's back while placing him under arrest.

"No more games today," the officer said as he was taking Lynch to the ground.

The arresting officer then says he notices the smell of alcohol on Lynch's breath. During the several minutes in which Lynch refused to exit his vehicle, officers did not indicate he was being investigated for DUI. They instructed him to get out of his car because he was "obstructing an investigation," according to the video.

"Marshawn was not pulled over for a DUI. Rather the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation," Lynch's attorneys said in a statement. "We are confident that when all evidence is presented, this will not be a DUI under Nevada law. Marshawn appreciates and is thankful for everyone’s concern and support."

When the officer whose body cam footage was released arrived at the scene, another officer in the video noted that Lynch "said he doesn't drink or do drugs" but questioned whether they had "ever seen anybody drive a car like that?" while directing the officer to the damaged tires. "He drove it 'til the f--king rims came off," she added.

The police report indicated Lynch remained uncooperative while in custody, with officers needing to use a restraint chair to draw blood to test for alcohol after he refused a Breathalyzer.

Lynch was formally charged with DUI after his blood test came back above the legal limit. He is set for a court date in December.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly didn't talk to the team for "weeks and weeks" after inking a five-year, $137.5 million contract extension with the 49ers in Feb. 2018.

"Once he left that press conference, nobody heard from him for weeks and weeks," a member of that 49ers coaching staff told Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"He didn’t return calls, he didn’t return texts—he basically just vanished. And we were looking at each other going, ‘What just happened?'"

The 49ers added Garoppolo from the New England Patriots via trade in the middle of the 2017 season. He started the 49ers' final five games and led the team to a 5-0 record during that stretch.

After the season, Garoppolo inked the long-term deal to become San Francisco's franchise quarterback.

Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to the 2019 NFC title and the 2021 NFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential with the 49ers. He sat nearly all of 2018 (torn ACL) and 2020 (high ankle sprain), playing just nine total games in those years.

The 49ers have ultimately decided to place their future in the hands of quarterback Trey Lance, who they landed with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Lance will be QB1 this year after sitting behind Jimmy G last season, when the 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game.

Garoppolo has one year left on his contract before becoming a free agent after this season. The 49ers have Garoppolo's agents permission to seek a trade, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, but nothing has materialized.

With training camps winding down and the regular season set to begin in one month, it appears Garoppolo may open the season as the 49ers' backup barring a late preseason development.

Now Trey Lance is the face of the franchise, he and the 49ers will open the season on Sept. 11 against the Chicago Bears. Lance got extended playing time in six games last year (starting two) in relief of an injured Garoppolo.

For the season, he completed 41-of-71 passes for five touchdowns (two interceptions) and 603 yards. He rushed for 168 yards and one score.

If any NFL teams are interested in acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo at this stage, they haven't reached out to San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

"I believe that goes on with his agents, but none that I hear of," Shanahan said Tuesday in reference to any outside interest in Garoppolo.

He added he isn't aware of any trade offers that were put forward to general manager John Lynch.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport painted a similar picture when reporting on the situation last Sunday. Rapoport said there's "no clear trade partner" for Garoppolo and that the Niners "are willing to wait all the way to cut-down day" for one to emerge.

Shanahan confirmed what many expected already when he said in July the 49ers "have moved on" to second-year quarterback Trey Lance.

San Francisco seems to be making it abundantly clear the team doesn't view Garoppolo as the backup, either. The 30-year-old is fourth in the unofficial depth chart, something Shanahan said was merely a procedural move.

"[Garoppolo's] not in meetings. He's not doing all that stuff," he told reporters. "So he's just doing what I said he's been doing. I think if he's on the depth chart, it's because you have to be. I think all 90 guys on our roster do. We have 91, actually."

The 49ers lost a lot of leverage in trade negotiations after Garoppolo underwent surgery on his right shoulder. Teams would obviously want to hold off on a deal until he was medically cleared to compete.

Now, San Francisco isn't even bothering to pretend Jimmy G could be on the active roster when the 2022 season opens. The franchise clearly isn't going to carry his nearly $27 million salary cap hit, not when it can collect $25.6 million in cap savings by cutting him.

Barring an injury that forces a GM's hand, there's no reason to trade for Garoppolo when you can wait and sign him for much less than his current salary.

The Arizona Cardinals remain optimistic the NFL will decrease its suspension for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler reported the team believes there's still a chance Hopkins' six-game ban could be reduced to four games. The league suspended him for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy.

Per Fowler, the NFL Players Association described the topic as a "moot issue," so the odds of the suspension getting amended appear to be slim.

The Cardinals didn't take any chances, acquiring Marquise Brown and a third-round pick from the Baltimore Ravens for their 2022 first-rounder.

While Arizona had lost Christian Kirk to free agency, that was a surprisingly aggressive move for a team that already had Hopkins, A.J. Green and Rondale Moore. Hopkins' suspension provided added context, assuming the team knew it was in the offing.

Hopkins told reporters in June he was weighing all of his options and denied knowingly taking a banned substance.

"I'm a natural. I'm pretty much a naturopathic kind of person," he told reporters. "It's called Ostarine and there was 0.1 percent of it found in my system and if you know what that is, it's contamination and not something directly taken."

The three-time All-Pro echoed those comments in July and lamented what he called the NFL's "very black and white" policies toward banned substances.

Barring a late change, Hopkins won't be eligible to suit up until Arizona's Week 7 clash with the New Orleans Saints.

It is Geno Smith's offense for the Seattle Seahawks heading into the preseason.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Smith is leading the quarterback race with Drew Lock and will start under center for Saturday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.

Things are certainly going to look different in Seattle regardless of who wins the quarterback race.

The team traded franchise legend Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason, and he took nine Pro Bowls and four seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards with him to the AFC West. Dialing up the pressure on Smith and Lock is the fact that Wilson's Broncos visit Seattle in Week 1 to start the regular season.

They both have plenty of work to do to reach the standard their predecessor set.

Smith has been in the league since he was a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft and has played for the New York Jets, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Seahawks throughout his career.

He is just 13-21 in 34 starts, including a 1-2 mark in three starts for the Seahawks last year, and has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 6,917 yards, 34 touchdowns and 37 interceptions.

By contrast, Lock has made 21 starts since he was a second-round draft pick in 2019 and has an 8-13 record. All 24 of his appearances came for the Broncos, and he completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 4,740 yards, 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

It appeared as if Lock might have had something of an inside track when Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune reported he was the better quarterback during Saturday's mock game:

However, Smith has more experience and started multiple games for the Seahawks just last season. It is apparently his job to lose, and he will have the opportunity to further solidify his spot atop the depth chart when the preseason begins Saturday.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed to reporters Tuesday that he signed a contract extension this offseason to remain with the team for the foreseeable future.

McVay said the Rams will announce his extension when they complete a deal with general manager Les Snead.

McVay coached the Rams to a win in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, their first championship since 1999. It was the team's second Super Bowl appearance in five seasons under McVay. His previous contract was set to end after 2023.

There had been some speculation that McVay was interested in transitioning from coaching to a broadcasting career. But McVay told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Feb. 25 that he was not pursuing any television opportunities and was committed to helping the Rams defend their title.

McVay's new contract didn't come together quickly, but he didn't complain. At the start of training camp, he told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times "we're in a good place" when asked about negotiations between him and the Rams. McVay noted that he felt an extension was "more than likely" to happen before the start of the regular season.

At 36 years old, McVay has established himself as one of the best coaches in the NFL in a short amount of time. He was named the NFL Coach of the Year in his first season in 2017. McVay coached Los Angeles to postseason appearances in four of his five seasons. He has a career record of 55-26 in the regular season and 7-3 in the playoffs.

McVay started his coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. He joined the Washington organization two years later in the same position and began his rise on the coaching ladder, serving as the team's tight ends coach before becoming offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016.

Though this extension locks him in for a few more years, McVay knows his time as head coach will not last forever. In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, he expressed a desire to start a family and spend time with them.

"I know I love football, and I'm so invested in this thing, and I'm in the moment right now," he said in February, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "But at some point, too, if you said what do you want to be able to do? I want to be able to have a family, and I want to be able to spend time with them."

With McVay in the fold for the next few years, Los Angeles will remain one of the most competitive teams in the league.