NFC West Teams Add Players Via International Player Pathway Program
This year was the NFC West’s turn to participate in the International Player Pathway program, which allows teams to carry an additional international player on their practice squads. This year’s players include (via NFL.com):
- Cardinals: TE Bernhard Seikovits, Austria
- 49ers: OL Alfredo Gutierrez, Mexico
- Rams: OL Max Pircher, Italy
- Seahawks: LB Aaron Donkor, Germany
Per the league’s website, the “program aims to provide elite international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster.”
These players will sit on their respective team’s roster until the end of training camp, at which time the teams will be granted “an international player practice squad exemption.” Assuming these players land on the practice squad, they’ll be ineligible to be activated during the 2021 campaign.
Each of the four players from the 2020 program will head into the preseason with the same teams: OT Isaac Alarcon (Cowboys), DE David Bada (Washington), DE Matt Leo (Eagles) and RB Sandro Platzgummer (Giants).
Richard Sherman Would Welcome 49ers Deal
One of Richard Sherman‘s potential paths appears to have closed, with the Raiders having reunited Casey Hayward with DC Gus Bradley. This narrows the All-Pro cornerback’s suitor total. The 49ers may still be in play, despite Sherman indicating in February he would not be back.
“There’s always a chance it could end up working back in the Bay, that I head back that way,” Sherman said Wednesday during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take (via NBC Sports Bay Area). “That’s another place I’m really comfortable going. Obviously know the staff, know the team well. Just spent time there and would be ecstatic if something happened there.”
Sherman added that a deal that would bring him back to San Francisco is unlikely to commence until late in the summer or perhaps in-season. The 49ers may, however, still possess a need for a boundary corner. The team re-signed Emmanuel Moseley and injury-prone Jason Verrett and used third- and fifth-round picks on corners. But a proven starter like Sherman could still be necessary. Sherman has also spoken with the Saints and Seahawks. Sherman, 33, still lives in the city and said Wednesday a second Seahawks stint would appeal to him. Pete Carroll, however, said the addition of another veteran cornerback is not on the team’s front-burner at this point, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- Former 49ers third-round pick Jalen Hurd has not played in a regular-season game, despite being a 2019 draftee. The once-promising wideout has seen back and knee injuries sidetrack his career. While Hurd should not be considered a lock to play for the 49ers, due to his run of injuries, GM John Lynch expects him to be ready to go come camp, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
49ers Fine With Jimmy Garoppolo Starting Two More Seasons
Despite being in trade rumors going into the draft, Jimmy Garoppolo remains a 49er. The soon-to-be 30-year-old quarterback now looks set, with the team having drafted North Dakota State one-year starter Trey Lance, to enter another season as San Francisco’s starting quarterback.
The 49ers are also not shutting the door on Garoppolo keeping his job into 2022. While this would be highly unusual for a modern first-round QB, especially one the 49ers traded two future first-round picks for, CEO Jed York said the Garoppolo-in-2022 scenario has come up at team headquarters.
“We’ve talked about this internally,” York said during an appearance on 49ers Talk with Matt Maiocco and Laura Britt (via NBC Sports). “If we’re in a situation where Jimmy goes out and takes us to a Super Bowl again and has an MVP-caliber season, and does it again, there are worse dilemmas to be in. And Jimmy certainly has the ability to do that.
“Knowing it’s the most important position in sports, and it’s great to have a guy that you do believe in and has gotten you to a Super Bowl. So you don’t have to put the weight of the world on a rookie, whoever it was we were going to choose.”
Few first-round quarterbacks since the Packers’ Brett Favre-to-Aaron Rodgers transition have failed to take over starting jobs as rookies, let alone second-year passers. In every non-Rodgers case, a first-round pick having failed to seize the job by Year 2 signaled a bust. Garoppolo sat for three-plus seasons behind Tom Brady, but the Patriots selected him in the 2014 second round. Garoppolo piloted the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV, throwing 27 touchdown passes in 2019, but has been unreliable from a health standpoint since coming to San Francisco. This led to the team trading up for Lance.
The 49ers would save $25.6MM by moving on from Garoppolo in 2022, which still should be considered the likely scenario. Garoppolo’s salary remaining on the books will prevent the 49ers from capitalizing on a rookie QB contract, which has become a valuable roster-building tool since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie deals. Lance only attempted 318 passes in college, declaring for the draft ahead of his COVID-19-nixed sophomore season.
Packers Say Broncos, 49ers Tampered With Aaron Rodgers
The Packers believe that the 49ers and Broncos have contacted Aaron Rodgers to gauge his interest in playing for them, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. That would classify as tampering, though the Packers have not filed a complaint with the league office. 
In order to file a successful claim, the Packers would need clear evidence of the illicit contact. Short of that, there isn’t much the Packers could do to bark back at the Broncos, Niners, or any other club that may have chatted with the MVP quarterback. Years ago, the Chiefs were docked draft picks for talking to Jeremy Maclin while he was still a member of the Eagles. But, for the most part, tampering is fairly common in the NFL and rarely punished.
Meanwhile, Rodgers hasn’t been shy about his issues with GM Brian Gutekunst. The QB wants Gutekunst fired and he’s even poked fun at him with friends, according to Bob McGinn of The Athletic. In group text threads, Rodgers has referred to the Packers exec as Jerry Krause – the late Bulls GM who may have prioritized his ego over the continued success of the team.
When the two sides were talking, the Packers offered to make Rodgers the highest-paid QB in the league, according to McGinn. Of course, those numbers don’t mean much in the NFL without guarantees to match, and= Rodgers wants the bulk of his money locked in.
Vikings Sign Shane Zylstra
The Vikings have signed Shane Zylstra, according to his agent, Jaymeson Moten (via Twitter). Zylstra, who starred as a wide receiver at Minnesota State, will convert to tight end, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because Zylstra’s older brother, Brandon Zylstra, signed with the Vikings in 2018 after a terrific couple of years in the Canadian Football League. He has been with the Panthers in each of the past two seasons, and while the CFL’s 2017 receiving yards leader has just 12 catches in his NFL career, he has served as a significant special teams contributor for both Minnesota and Carolina.
The younger Zylstra set Minnesota State records with 81 receptions for 1,676 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2019 — he was basically the D-II version of Ja’Marr Chase — but went undrafted last year. He will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow Minnesota State alumnus and new teammate Adam Thielen.
Zylstra has put on 15 pounds of muscle for his position switch and is now up to 230 pounds, per Tomasson (Twitter link). The Vikings’ TE depth chart is currently topped by Irv Smith Jr., but beyond that, the club is rostering unproven talents Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon, and fifth-round rookie Zach Davidson. So Zylstra has a shot to make the team with a strong summer.
Tomasson notes that Zylstra also attracted interest from the Colts and 49ers (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LS Scott Daly, G Evan Heim
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Jets): DL John Daka
- Signed: OL Max Pircher (Int’l Pathway Program)
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Adonis Alexander, WR Matt Cole, S Chris Edwards
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Aaron Donkor (Int’l Pathway Program)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Fred Brown
49ers Will Not Ask Jimmy Garoppolo To Take Paycut
Jimmy Garoppolo may not be with the 49ers beyond the 2021 season — if he makes it that far — but he will not be asked to take a pay cut or restructure his contract. GM John Lynch was clear on that point, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Of course, Lynch just selected Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. While we have known ever since the 49ers traded a king’s ransom to the Dolphins to acquire that pick that they would use it on a QB, San Francisco brass has also implied that Garoppolo would be the starter at least to open the season while the rookie passer gets his feet wet at the professional level.
Branch, however, suggests that Lance could take the reins right away, meaning that the 49ers would be paying their backup a $24.2MM salary, to go along with a $27MM cap charge. But Lynch and team ownership have no issue with that proposition.
“I think it’s a testament to the commitment of our ownership,” Lynch said. “When this process was going on, that’s a question that we asked. We arrived at a point where that was our preference: to draft a quarterback and keep Jimmy, provided that someone didn’t come and just completely blow us way (with a trade offer). And they gave us that commitment. Yeah, we could do that. And we’re happy to have that situation right now. Because we believe it’s a very strong one.”
The 49ers do have the cap space to make it work. As Branch notes, San Francisco currently has $18.2MM of room, and while the club still has to sign its eight-man draft class and work out an extension for LB Fred Warner, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
2021 NFL Draft Results By Round
The 2021 NFL Draft is here! We’ll be keeping tabs here, from pick No. 1 through No. 259:
Round 1
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
4) Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida)
5) Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR (LSU)
6) Miami Dolphins (from Eagles): Jaylen Waddle, WR (Alabama)
7) Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT (Oregon)
8) Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina)
9) Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB (Alabama)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys): DeVonta Smith, WR (Alabama)
11) Chicago Bears (from Giants): Justin Fields, QB (Ohio State)
12) Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers via Dolphins via Eagles): Micah Parsons, LB (Penn State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
16) Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa)
17) Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood, OL (Alabama)
18) Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips, DL (Miami)
19) Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis, LB (Kentucky)
20) New York Giants (from Bears): Kadarius Toney, WR (Florida)
21) Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DL (Michigan)
22) Tennessee Titans: Caleb Farley, CB (Virginia Tech)
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Seahawks via Jets): Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
27) Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnes0ta)
28) New Orleans Saints: Payton Turner, DE (Houston)
29) Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB (Georgia)
30) Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami)
31) Baltimore Ravens (from Chiefs): Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, LB (Washington)
2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:
[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)
Richard Sherman Has Talked With 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, Raiders
Richard Sherman may be taking his time finding a new team, but that’s not due to a lack of interest. Speaking to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the five-time Pro Bowler revealed that he’s had talks with four teams: the 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, and Raiders (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
None of these teams are overly surprising. Despite making it clear that he was ready to move on from San Francisco, Sherman clearly has respect for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, so it makes sense that he’s considering the team where he spent the past three years. Sherman also recently said that he’d be open to a reunion with the Seahawks, and the Seahawks could use a corner who is familiar with the defense, seeing as how they lost Shaquill Griffin to the Jaguars in free agency.
The Saints were also said to have interest in Sherman last month, though that’ll require some creative accounting given their cap situation. Also, a few days after that report, the Saints re-upped defensive back P.J. Williams on a one-year, $2.3MM deal. Sherman hasn’t been previously connected to the Raiders, but he seems like a natural fit with the city and head coach.
The Stanford product was limited to only five games this past year and recently turned 33, but he was still a second-team All-Pro in 2019. He’ll be an interesting gamble for a team, as he’s past his prime and coming off an injury-plagued year, but also played at a very high level not too long ago. The veteran has indicated that he’d like to play two more years.