49ers

• 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk has had a tumultuous time on the team, leading to him being placed on the Left Squad List. San Francisco HC Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk became “extremely distant” after he suffered his ACL injury in Week 7, per Matt Barrows. 

Cardinals 

• When taking a look at possible trade candidates next offseason, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN points out that the Cardinals are strategically stashing QB Kyler Murray to preserve his health for a potential trade. 
• However, Fowler writes that Murray’s $37 million in guarantees in 2026 complicates things. 
• Fowler could see the Vikings being an ideal landing spot, as he can work with a quarterback-focused head coach like Kevin O’Connell. However, J.J. McCarthy has shown improvement in recent weeks.
• Fowler names the Raiders and Jets as teams that could be transitioning at the quarterback position. 
• Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon said they’ve ruled out LT Paris Johnson Jr. and S Jalen Thompson for Week 16, per Darren Urban. 

Seahawks

Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV defended QB Sam Darnold and said that he has kept the team in every single game.

“Sam’s had us in every f—ing game,” Jones said, via ESPN. “So, for him to sit there and say, ‘That’s my fault,’ no, it’s not. It was plays that defensively we could have made … opportunities where we could have got better stops. It’s football, man. He’s our quarterback. We’ve got his back, and if you’ve got anything to say, quite frankly, f— you.”

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald has reset the culture and has the team flying around the football and playing fast with a purpose.

“We’ve got a bunch of tough guys that are out on a mission, pun intended,” the coach said. “I think they’re together. We have a fun time doing it, and we hold each other accountable.”

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba called the team a “brotherhood” and said that their toughness and willingness to defend each other is what sets them apart.

“It’s a brotherhood,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s something that we’ve built from the ground up. Seattle is very, if you will, off the map. So the togetherness, when we travel, when we go places, it’s protect the team, it’s protect the brotherhood, and we really stand on that. We really believe that, and it shows every single day. If you’re not really here, maybe it’s hard to see, but if you’re here every single day, you would understand what I’m talking about.”

Seahawks DL Leonard Williams said he started feeling the connection early on during OTA’s and credited Macdonald for instilling that culture.

“I honestly started feeling it throughout OTAs,” Williams said of the Seahawks’ connectedness. “Coach Macdonald, his leadership, I think, has gained a lot of respect from the team. You can see people respect him and listen to him. I think a part of it is he points out when he has flaws, which allows players to feel comfortable when they have flaws pointed out as well. So I think it just starts with him. It kind of just bled into the rest of the team.“