Rodgers on the difference in the 49ers’ defense: ‘Pass rush, definitely the pass rush’

Update: NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Carolina Panthers are expected to hire Seattle Seahawks VP of football operations Scott Fitterer as the team's new general manager, passing on others, including the San Francisco 49ers' VP of player personnel, Adam Peters. The #Panthers are expected to hire VP of Football Operations Scott Fitterer as their new GM, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. A late addition to their interview

There is so much uncertainty for the San Francisco 49ers as they embark into the 2021 offseason. Nearly 40 players are scheduled to become free agents, and the team is pressed up against a salary cap that is expected to drop from $198.2 million to a number that could be as low as $175 million. General manager John Lynch said this week that the 49ers are operating under the assumption that they will have $175 million to work with this year. Anything more would be a bonus. That means some tough decisions may be on the horizon, and the roster could look very different next season. Fred Warner, who will need a contract extension himself fairly soon, isn't too worried about the 49ers' future. After all, 2020's downfall had more to do with injuries than anything else.

For the second consecutive year, former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis failed to make the cutdown from 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame to 15 finalists. Many were shocked when Willis' name wasn't among the list of finalists last year. Imagine how they feel after it happened again. NFL Media analyst Adam Rank was among those "absolutely stunned" in 2020 when Willis' name was left off last year's list of finalists. "I thought he was one of the few automatic selections," Rank wrote last year. "But apparently some Hall of Fame voters tend to favor longevity over guys who were dominant over a shorter period of