NFC Notes: Kap, Giants, Seahawks, Cards

Count the Giants among the teams that didn’t consider signing free agent Colin Kaepernick when they were in the market for a backup quarterback, co-owner John Mara told Jenny Ventras of The MMQB. Mara, whose Giants ended up signing Geno Smith and drafting Davis Webb to back up Eli Manning, revealed to Ventras that the team’s fans haven’t been shy about voicing their disdain for the polarizing Kaepernick. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” said Mara. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I’ve run into.”

More from the NFC:

• Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has reportedly been disgruntled since their February 2015 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, and Peter King of The MMQB places some of the blame for that on Pete Carroll. The head coach has created too loose an atmosphere, suggests King; in spite of that, though, King doesn’t expect any drama this year from Sherman, as he’ll have plenty of eyes on him from both the team and the media on the heels of a contentious 2016 and a trade rumor-filled offseason.
• One of Sherman’s Seahawks teammates, second-year runner C.J. Prosise, has a chance to emerge as one of the NFL’s best pass-catching backs this year, posits Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. With fellow RBs Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls in the fold, carries will be difficult to come by for Prosise, but he could break out as a 60-catch type for a team whose backs hauled in 75 passes last season, writes Kapadia. Only three RBs – Arizona’s David Johnson, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell and New England’s James White – racked up 60 or more receptions in 2016. Prosise, who missed 10 games as a third-round rookie, finished with 17 grabs on 19 targets and posted a lofty yards-per-catch average for a back (12.2).
• Cardinals third-round rookie wide receiver Chad Williams has stood out as an “athletic freak” during OTAs, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. The former Grambling State star has impressed head coach Bruce Arians, who said of the 98th overall pick: “He’s shown up a lot already. It’s a tough room to crack but he’s off [to] a good start.” Arizona’s receiving corps underwhelmed last season, thanks in part to injuries, with its second, third, fourth and fifth wideouts only combining for 10 more catches (117) than No. 1 man Larry Fitzgerald had by himself (107). Given that Fitzgerald might be entering his last season and John Brown is scheduled to hit free agency next March, Williams could soon become an integral piece of the Cardinals’ offense if his work this spring carries into game situations.