NFC West

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is believed to be in line for a major contract extension, but it looks like he will have to wait a bit before he gets his payday.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, 49ers general manager John Lynch said Tuesday that Bosa's extension will be addressed next year and added, "His time's coming."

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Bosa is set to count for a $10.8 million cap hit this season, per Spotrac. San Francisco exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, which would pay him $17.9 million in 2023.

Lynch went on to say that the two years remaining on Bosa's deal are part of the reason for the lack of urgency toward an extension:

All signs point to Bosa staying put for the foreseeable future. The 24-year-old told reporters in June that he wasn't concerned about contract negotiations, saying: "I've just been focusing on getting better. I'll let my agent worry about that."

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan shared Bosa's sentiments, saying he was "not too concerned" with the slow-moving discussions and adding, "I fully expect Nick Bosa being here for a very long time."

After missing the majority of the 2020 season because of a torn ACL, Bosa bounced back in a big way last year. He ranked fourth in the NFL with 15.5 sacks to go with 52 total tackles and four forced fumbles on his way to earning his second career Pro Bowl selection.

If Bosa can once again stay healthy this season, the 49ers will have a strong chance of reaching the playoffs for the third time in four years. San Francisco reached the Super Bowl in 2019 and advanced to the NFC championship last season, so the team seems primed to continue its pursuit of a championship.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has downplayed reports that Trey Lance developed a sore arm earlier this offseason.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Shanahan noted every quarterback he's ever coached has had arm soreness and that he isn't concerned it will be an issue for Lance.

Earlier this month, NFL Network's Michael Silver and radio host Colin Cowherd said on The Colin Cowherd Podcast (h/t All 49ers' Grant Cohn) that Lance had "arm fatigue" as he worked on rebuilding his throwing mechanics.

The 49ers have disputed any notion that Lance's arm was giving him problems. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been training with Lance, posted a video on Instagram of himself catching three deep passes from Lance with a cheeky caption.

"The only three throws from the day, his arm got fatigued after that…" Aiyuk wrote.

Several 49ers players, including George Kittle, Trey Sermon and Trent Williams, got in on the fun in the comments section by responding with laughing emojis.

In June, after a practice during organized team activities, Lance spoke to reporters and clarified that he wasn't completely altering his throwing motion:

"I know everyone has their opinion on it, but for me, it's about getting the ball out, accuracy. Like I said, it's a lot different working down there or working away from the building because you're working primarily as a thrower, not necessarily as a quarterback. So there's little things that you change when you get back here just from a timing standpoint, from an eye standpoint, little things like that, but no major changes for me."

Shanahan also said Tuesday what everyone has expected since the end of the 2021 season.

"Jimmy [Garoppolo] knows we're going with Trey," Shanahan said. "Trey knows we're going with Trey. The team knows we're going with Trey, and everyone likes both of those guys. It is what it is."

Garoppolo's future remains up in the air, though ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last week the 49ers gave his agents permission to seek a trade since he was cleared to start practicing after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.

Despite whispers the 49ers might stick with Garoppolo in 2022 after reaching the NFC Championship Game last season, it always made sense for Lance to become the starting quarterback.

San Francisco traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to acquire the No. 3 overall pick and select Lance in the 2021 draft. He appeared in six games, including two starts when Garoppolo was injured, as a rookie.

Lance threw for 603 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions and a 57.7 completion percentage.

San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel has reported to training camp this week, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, amid extension negotiations with the team.

"We've had productive and substantive talks..." general manager John Lynch told reporters Tuesday. "We're excited about moving forward with him as part of this team."

Lynch added: "We're not there yet... something is gonna happen here in the near future."

It remains to be seen if Samuel will also practice or if he was simply reporting to training camp. But optimism is clearly high in San Francisco that a deal can be reached.

"The days of holding out and stuff are a little bit different now because players, regardless of what the team decides later, always have to pay [the fines] back," head coach Kyle Shanahan told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami on The TK Show podcast Monday (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). "Now, those fines can't get paid back [because of the new CBA]."

"What I do know is: I'm not worried about it not getting done," he added. "I feel very confident that Deebo's going to be on our team this year, and he's going to be for many years after. I do believe he'll get a deal. I know that they're working on it right now."

Samuel, 26, has emerged as one of the most dynamic offensive playmakers in football, catching 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns last season while adding 365 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.

Having Samuel available will be huge for second-year quarterback Trey Lance, who the team has officially turned to as its starter.

While Samuel's impact out of the backfield is likely to lessen—the 49ers were bested by injuries at the position last season and used Samuel to help cover for those injuries, a role Samuel reportedly doesn't want to continue given the additional physical toll it takes on his body—he's still the team's most dangerous offensive weapon.

Wrapping up a contract extension before the season would address one of the final looming questions surrounding the team as the Niners look to compete for a Super Bowl this year.

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson will reportedly retire from the NFL due to a neck injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"SEA will officially release him with a failed physical designation," Rapoport wrote. "Under the CBA, that allows Carson to receive several million in injury protection benefits. Seattle does right by him."

The 27-year-old had spent his entire five-year career in Seattle after being selected in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State. In 49 career games, Carson rushed for 3,502 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also caught 107 passes for 804 yards and seven scores.

Carson appeared in just four games during his 2017 rookie season before fracturing his leg. He went on to have back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard rushing seasons in 2018 and 2019. He rushed for 1,151 yards and nine scores in 2018 and 1,230 yards and seven scores in 2019.

Carson's production dropped off in 2020 as he rushed for 681 yards and five scores. He then appeared in just four games during the 2021 campaign, rushing for 232 yards and three scores, before undergoing season-ending neck surgery.

Last month, Carson told told Jonathan Adams of Heavy.com that he did not have a timeline to return from his neck surgery and that he didn't have plans to retire.

"Oh, we still going right now," Carson said. "I see myself playing until I feel like stopping. My mindset is never to give up. So, I'm staying positive like I said, and continue to fight and get back onto the field."

With Carson now set to retire, the Seahawks can rely on Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas at running back. Penny led the team in rushing last season with 749 yards and six touchdowns.

Walker was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Michigan State. He had a breakout 2021 campaign with the Spartans, rushing for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games.

Dallas, meanwhile, has spent the last two seasons in Seattle. He rushed for 138 yards and two scores in 2021.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson said he's aiming to become the first player in NFL history to post 2,000 receiving yards in a single season in 2022.

"I hope so," Jefferson told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press on Monday. "I think I can. Hopefully, everything goes right and I can get that 2,000. That's my goal."

Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson holds the all-time record with the 1,964 yards he posted in 2012. The Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp came close last year with 1,947 yards.

While Kupp staked his claim as the NFL's best wideout with his standout showing in 2021, Jefferson told Tomasson the Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams still gets his vote as the top dog at the position, at least for now.

"Just because all that Davante Adams has done," he said. "I'm just showing my respect for him but agree that after the year I'll pass him."

As for Kupp?

"Coop is good, but I'll say he's behind me," Jefferson told Tomasson.

The 23-year-old LSU product is off to a tremendous start to his career with the Vikings. He's earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his first two NFL seasons while tallying 196 catches for 3,016 yards and 17 touchdowns in 33 games.

His yardage total is the highest in the league over the past two years, and he's hopeful the switch to new head coach Kevin O'Connell, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator for Kupp and the Rams, will open up the offense even more.

"[O'Connell] can do a lot," Jefferson told Tomasson. "He'll put me in different positions, put me in motion, put me in different spots to get the ball. So we're excited about this new offense. I feel great about all the different coaches coming into the building."

One thing that could prevent Jefferson from reaching his 2,000-yard goal is Minnesota's pass-catching depth.

Fellow receivers Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn along with tight end Irv Smith Jr. are going to command a fair share of targets, and running back Dalvin Cook is also a factor in the passing game.

Last year, Kupp finished with 191 targets, and the next-highest total on the Rams was Van Jefferson at 89. It was a similar story for Johnson with the Lions in 2012, when he finished with 204 targets and next on the team was Brandon Pettigrew at 102.

It's hard to see Jefferson pushing toward 200 targets if all of the Vikings' main offensive playmakers remain healthy. If injuries arise, however, all bets are off and he could make that push for 2,000 yards.

Minnesota will kick off the regular season Sept. 11 when it welcomes the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers to U.S. Bank Stadium for a key Week 1 showdown.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay didn't hold anything back during his pitch to free-agent wide receiver Allen Robinson II.

"I was selling my f--king balls off to this guy," McVay said to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

It worked, as Robinson signed a three-year, $46.5 million contract.

Cooper Kupp is coming off one of the most prolific seasons for a receiver. He led the NFL in receptions (145), yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16) in 2021.

But Odell Beckham Jr.'s torn ACL left the Rams without a dynamic secondary target in the passing game, and a move for one of the top names was out of the question because they lacked the salary-cap space and trade assets.

Enter Robinson.

The 28-year-old often succeeded with his previous two teams in spite of his starting quarterback. Blake Bortles was his primary passer with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and then it was Mitch Trubisky with the Chicago Bears.

Beyond getting to contend for a Super Bowl, Robinson is now playing alongside Kupp and Matthew Stafford. He must feel like he got a new lease on life.

The Rams rebuilt Beckham's value prior to the ACL injury. Over 15 appearances between the regular season and playoffs, he had 48 receptions for 593 yards and seven touchdowns.

The same thing could happen with Robinson in L.A.

McVay clearly left nothing to chance, but it might not have been that difficult to convince the 2015 Pro Bowler that the Rams were his best fit this offseason.

It turns out not everyone is sold on Trey Lance as the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback.

A coach whose team plays the 49ers this season told Mike Sando of The Athletic that it would be an "early Christmas present" if San Francisco traded Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of Lance.

“That would be like my early Christmas present if they just get rid of Jimmy, so that way he can’t play for them, and then make Trey be your guy,” the coach said.

It's almost certain the 49ers plan to grant the coach his wish. The team has spent the entire offseason searching for a trade partner for Garoppolo and recently gave the veteran quarterback's agent permission to seek a deal.

The trade market has been slow for Garoppolo as he's been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He is yet to be fully cleared for on-field work and will likely begin training camp on the sidelines or working on an extremely limited basis.

The 49ers pushed their chips to the middle of the table in the 2021 draft to select Lance, who they viewed as a developmental star while Garoppolo served as a stopgap last season. Lance was inconsistent in his playing time last season, which included a pair of starts with Garoppolo injured. The North Dakota State product threw for 603 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions while also adding 168 yards and a score on the ground.

While Lance's rushing ability gives him a dynamic Garoppolo does not possess, Lance completed only 57.7 percent of his passes and was erratic with his accuracy last season. Some of that can be attributed to a finger injury that adjusted his throwing grip, but Lance looked very much like a work in progress.

Opposing coaches certainly have a higher view of Garoppolo than Lance. Sando's polling of NFL quarterbacks had Jimmy G ranked 16th and Lance all the way back at No. 29.

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

He is eligible to come off the list at any time.

Ramsey underwent offseason shoulder surgery after playing the entire 2021 campaign with tears in both shoulders. Despite the injuries, he only missed one game last season while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

In 16 games last season, Ramsey posted four interceptions, 16 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 77 tackles. He earned an All-Pro selection and was named to the Pro Bowl.

The 27-year-old also had a solid postseason, recording 13 tackles and four passes defended en route to a Super Bowl title.

Ramsey has been a staple in L.A.'s secondary since coming over in a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2019 season. He has been mostly durable too, appearing in at least 15 games in five of his six seasons.

Fresh off agreeing to a new contract with the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray is ready to reward the franchise for their commitment to him.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Murray said the next step for him is "about fulfilling my promise" to the Cardinals by one day bringing "a championship to this organization.”

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported yesterday that Murray has agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension with $160 million guaranteed that will keep him in Arizona through the 2028 season.

There were some questions early in the offseason about Murray's future with the Cardinals. He briefly scrubbed references to the team from his social media in February, leading to speculation he might be unhappy.

"If you're a kid my age, you're used to, like, people take off all of their...that's just a thing," Murray told reporters in March about the situation. "Honestly, like I said, I took everything off of it, besides one picture, so it had nothing to do with the Cardinals or anything like that."

Around the same time Murray was deleting images from social media, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported people within the Cardinals organization described the 24-year-old as "self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers."

Mortensen also noted that Murray was "embarrassed" by the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Game and felt he was "made the scapegoat" for their performance.

Murray's extension makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. His $46.1 million average annual salary trails only Aaron Rodgers' deal with the Green Bay Packers ($50.3 million). His $160 million guaranteed ranks second, behind Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns.

In terms of total value, Murray's $230.5 million is third among quarterbacks behind Patrick Mahomes' $450 million and Josh Allen's $258 million.

The pressure is certainly on Murray now that he has given the Cardinals a long-term commitment. but he's already met the challenge of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

Through his first three seasons, Murray has thrown for 11,480 yards, run for 1,786 yards and accounted for 90 touchdowns (70 passing, 20 rushing). The Oklahoma alum has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and led the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance since 2015 last year.