49ers free agency 2016 tracker

This is the live blog for free agency 2016. I will update this with 49ers news as it breaks.

Friday, 11:27. The Denver Broncos have traded a conditional 2017 draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Mark Sanchez. Looks like the market for Colin Kaepernick has been reduced by 33 1/3%. Look for Kaepernick to land in Cleveland with head coach Hue Jackson.

Thursday, 7:38 a.m. The Denver Broncos are willing to trade the 49ers a third-round pick for Colin Kaepernick, but the Niners want a second-round pick in return, according to Mike Silver of the NFL Network.

Thursday, 7:33 a.m. The Oakland Raiders have signed CB Sean Smith to a four-year, $40 million deal, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. That’s a bargain. Not sure why the Niners couldn’t outbid Oakland here.

Wednesday, 5:59. The Kansas City Chiefs are trying hard to re-sign Sean Smith, according to the Kansas City Star. The Niners probably would  have to offer Smith $14 million per year to get him. That’s Richard-Sherman money. I say pay the man. The Niners have no one else on which to spend their money.

Wednesday, 3:13.. The 49ers have signed former Philadelphia Eagles third-string quarterback Thad Lewis, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com. Lewis played under Chip Kelly last season.

Wednesday, 3:04.

Wednesday, 2:01. The New York Giants have signed defensive end Olivier Vernon, according to Ian Rapoport. Vernon was the best pass rusher on the market.

Wednesday, 1:25. The 49ers are interested in running back C.J. Anderson, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Anderson is a former undrafted free agent. Wednesday, 1:04. Boone will make a little more than $6 million a year in Minnesota, according to Tom Pelissero. The Niners probably will try to sign someone for half of that.

Wednesday, 12:57. Former 49ers guard Alex Boone signed with the Minnesota Vikings today. Here are the best remaining interior offensive linemen on the market, according to Rotoworld’s Evan Silva.

Wednesday, 12:53. The 49ers are bidding against the Kansas City and the Oakland Raiders for free-agent cornerback Sean Smith, according to Peter King..

Wednesday, 12:31: The 49ers do not want to trade QB Colin Kaepernick to the Denver Broncos or any team, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.

This article has 623 Comments

    1. Texans feel they are a QB away from a Superbowl. Too bad they are actually a QB, an o-line, a RB, and a quality #2 WR away from a Superbowl. That’s only on the offensive side of the ball. Despite the great defense last year they are getting old at LB and their d-line is mediocre if Watt misses any time.

    1. That won’t be coming from the Broncos (at least not a 2016 5th rounder). Broncos are out of 4th, 5th and 6th rounders this year.

      1. #95 this year and a conditional next year that can become another third.

      2. In my opinion, RG III seems like the more viable candidate. SF is not shipping that contract out when a QB like Osweiler can land an 18 million a year contract with no real body of work.

    2. I’d take that 5th rounder. CK needs a fresh start. So do the Niners. I have no issues with him other then he folded this pas year. No line fine, but his play was disappointing. Also the reports of locker room bs and not studying film. Not good.

      He can’t stay on roster, can he???

      I think CK and Chip Kelly both need to look internally and change their ways to be successful. Humble pie…

    3. 5th round for CK would not be a good deal for SF.
      We have CK on the most franchise-friendly contract in the history of salary cap. No way does he leave SF without multiple draft picks which include a 2nd rounder.

    4. When the Atlanta Falcons traded Matt Schaub to the Texans in 2007, they swapped 1st round picks (Atlanta moved to 8, Texans moved to 10) and the Texans gave up 2 2nd round picks (2007 & 2008). Schaub was strictly a backup behind Michael Vick.

      The Broncos want Kaepernick as their starter. CK has won a lot of games and has played in multiple Championship Games and a Superbowl. A 5th rounder for a starting QB is absurdly low. A 3rd rounder for a guy the Broncos want to be their starter is absurdly low. Baalke needs to demand multiple picks over 2 years with the highest being a 2nd round pick this year.

        1. The Broncos aren’t trading for a 2nd teamer. Even if they were, the price should start at 2 second rounders in accordance with precedent.

  1. Another G option off the table: Mike Garafolo ‏@MikeGarafolo 4m4 minutes ago
    OL Jeff Allen’s deal with the Texans: four years, $14 million, source says.

    1. That’s a steal for Allen. How’d they manage that after the bonkers deal they made for Brock?

    2. Dude, a 5th rounder?! Niners have leverage now and can aim much higher.

      He was a top of the 2nd round pick and has a resume that includes leading team to Super Bowl and NFC Championship two years in row.

      Elway knows the importance of his skill set (hope he does not know his below average decision making)

      …HOLD YOUR CARDS TRENT!! HOLD YOUR CARDS (Im thinking at least a conditional 3rd)

      1. I agree a 5th is way too low. Wait. Let the April deadline pass. Let the QB market heat up a bit. There could be some TC or early season QB injuries that crank CK’s value up.

    1. I agree – the price for CK7 just went up. They should seek 3rd rounder or higher in exchange

  2. Have to think that Oak, KC are more likely to land Smith unless Baalke goes all Houston Texans on the situation and overpays ridiculously.

  3. Hmm, Kaep may force the issue. Refuse to report.
    Maybe they should do a conditional 5th next year. If the Broncos have a winning season, it becomes a 4th. If they make the playoffs, a third. If they make the AFCC game, a second. If they win another Super Bowl, a first round pick.

      1. Sil tried to tell me that it is not possible, but you just gave a concrete example.TY.

        1. Seb, read man read. Sil never said it was impossible. You said he should retire and come back. Sil’s point was that no matter what Colin does the 49ers own his rights even if he retires. So they had all the leverage. He can refuse to report, they still have to surrender his rights. It may suck but its true. Palmer played hard ball with the Bengals and won. It took a lot on his end to do so. They were willing to call his bluff on retiring.

          1. Wilson, I emphatically did not advocate him retiring. He should hold out. Refuse to play and force them to either trade him, or cut him. He should fail the April 1st physical and make the Niners pay him his full salary, then do an injury settlement.

            1. Baalke will leverage Kaep into future picks. He’s not going to have to do that and we’re going to end up with RGIII.

            2. He should fail his April 1st physical by faking an injury?

              The 49ers are in a position of leverage. Why would they fold now, or allow Kap to dictate terms?

              1. 49, he does not have to fake any injury. Kaep had 3 operations, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities that his rehab is going slowly.

          2. The Bengals didn’t necessarily lose they were able to get a 1st rounder for a retired player because they owned his rights and refused to just release him.

            1. As between the Bengals and Raiders, the Bengals won that deal, and it was famous at the time for its lopsidedness, such that it led in part to the relieving of Hue Jackson. As between Palmer and the Bengals, both sides came out winners. One of the Bengals’ two drafted players (a 1st and a 2nd) was Gio Bernard.

        2. Seb

          Don’t misquote me, you miscreant. I said Kaep can report or retire. That still applies. If he fails to report, then he is pulling a Carson Palmer, who retired for a year, before Hue Jackson traded two 1st Rd Picks for him.

          “Carson signed a contract. He made a commitment. He gave his word. We relied on his word. We relied on his commitment. We expected him to perform here. He’s going to walk away from his commitment. We aren’t going to reward him for doing it.” (WIKI)

          1. Semantics. I say Kaep does not have to retire. He can just hold out and claim hostile work environment.
            Yes, you said he has to report or retire. I say he can hold out and refuse to play.

            1. Seb, I don’t think you have even the slightest grasp of the inter-workings of professional football contracts.

              1. If the 49ers fold their cards when they are holding the stronger hand, then Baalke needs to be fired. That would set a horrible precedent on top of losing value, and it’s simply not going to happen.

              2. 49, gosh, all I want is fair play. Backstabbing and dirty tricks should not be rewarded. Kaep could easily say that he fears to be humiliated by being cut on the team bus.

          2. Sil, Niners gave their word that they would use the savings from Kaep’s contract to retain Veteran talent, then failed to do it. That is a breach of contract. They reneged on their promise.
            Kaep is aggrieved and has a strong case. Jed promised to part ways with the leaker, then sends him to the meeting with Kaep’s reps to ask for a pay cut.

            1. Seb

              I noticed a couple of weeks ago that you started talking about this “fairness” issue. You’re wrong. There is no evidence that the 49ers failed to spend adequately; they were $13M under the cap last year after writing off Aldon Smith’s $9M late, which means they were $4M away from the cap, in reality. They couldn’t force guys to take pay cuts, and they were in cap purgatory after being serious Super Bowl contenders for three years running. In fact, they spent the most $$$ they’ve ever spent on an outside FA in 2015, when they gave Torrey Smith $40M, and what did Kaep do with him?

              I’m not saying it’s all on Kaepernick, but the non-spending thing is really a non-starter for this conversation because it is not even accurate.

              The main impetus for Kaepernick’s regression, I believe, started in 2014, when the 49ers, under Harbaugh and Roman, attempted to confine Kaep inside the pocket. Then, when Harbaugh was undercut, Kaep saw it, and became despondent, which is not the action of a professional, who is paid in the $10M+ range.

              In 2015, Kaepernick checked out, though with good reason, as it became clear quickly that his coaches and offensive line were incompetent and overmatched. Still, he was the face of the franchise, the most highly paid person in the franchise, and he acted like a petulant child.

              I have no problem with the 49ers letting him go, but I also believe that if he gets his head together, he will return to form and take the league by 7torm once again.

              1. … but, but, but what will The Seb do then? That’s the only question this blog needs to concern itself with going forward.

              2. Sil, I am just expressing my opinion, but Baalke had the 13 mil ALL YEAR. There were FA options. Jed just said they did not want to spend just to spend. Too bad they did not spend to try and win, but in the end, it sure looked like they were plotting to get the best draft position possible after writing off the season.
                The 2 big FA losses were Iupati and Crabtree. Please do not insult my intelligence by saying that they really tried hard to save Crabtree. Iupati I could almost agree about, but the result was last years’ O line. Crab was lowballed by no promise of playing time, and it was quite evident that they wanted him gone.
                Maybe a little loyalty towards players would have engendered a little loyalty by the players, but they all bailed because they saw Hayne get cut on the team bus.
                I am resigned that Kaep is gone, and if he goes to the Broncos, I bet they will be favored to win the SB again. I will wish him well, and I, too, expect Kaep to take the league by storm again.
                Niners screwed themselves by leaking smears, benching him and preventing him from being on the side line 5 weeks after surgery. Now the Broncos can say that an injured, benched, one read second stringer who lost the locker room and did not study, is not too valuable. Bet they will offer a 7th this year and a conditional 5th next year. 2 picks for one player. what a deal.

              3. Sir, my job just got 10 times harder, so I will have to double my missives, because there are so many areas to improve.;p

              4. Seb,

                Crabtree wanted out. There were reports that he took LESS money to go to the Raiders.

                When there were players to sign, the 49ers had very little so room.

                It was only AFTER A Davis retired and A Smith was released, that the 49ers had any cap room to speak of.

                You say there were FA options when the 49ers had cap space. Name them. Please don’t say Mathis. He was only going to a contender.

              5. Ex, the dollar amount may have been less initially, but the Raiders gave him an incentive laden contract with a promise to renegotiate it if he did well. He did well, they gave him a new contract, and it is far superior to the Niner one with no guarantees of playing time.

              6. Ex, there may have been few named Free Agents, the best ones were taken. however, all year long, there was a list of available free agents, and other teams tapped into that pool. Additionally, there were 31 practice squads chock full of players that may have improved a 5-11 team. They chose not to spend. They were content to save. They were content to lose.

              7. Seb,

                I missed the fact that the 49ers ignored the practice squads of the other 31 teams for most of the year. You don’t even need to look at list of names on those PS’s to know that they were teeming with talent! How could I and, more importantly, the 49ers miss such rich wealth of legit NFL players?

                Are you nuts? There’s a reason players are on PS’s rather than a roster: they’re not that good.

                As for the “… name free agents…” who you claim were available, once the 49ers had the extra cap space, I’ll wait for a list of names.

                The fact is, there were few, if any, FA’s that the 49ers could’ve signed that would’ve made much of a difference last year, once they had the additional cap space from A Davis and A Smith.

              8. No, Ex, they were not better than PS players. That O line sucked and I would have poached players from the Cowboys, Steelers and Bengals. In fact, they did grab a player from the Bengals, but stuck him on the PS where another team grabbed him. I would have looked at rosters, and seen which players were backing up pro bowl players, then targeted them because they might be good , but not good enough to supplant a pro bowl player. No matter what, a 5-11 team has players who are marginal, and even PS players may be better.

              9. I’m tired of the offensive line getting blamed for all of Kaep’s issues. Were they bad yes, but you know who had a line who ranked far worse in terms of pass protection last year? Tom Brady, NE had the 31st ranked oline in terms of pass protection while the 49ers oline ranked 14th. You know who else had worse pass protection than Colin?
                Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers, Russel Wilson, Eli Manning, and Alex Smith to name a few. (source is PFF).

              10. Shoup, maybe you did not watch the same games, but all I saw was Devey and Pears acting like turnstiles until Kaep was so injured he had to get 3 surgeries.
                The O line improved after the middle of the season, but early on, it was PUTRID. Go ahead, defend Devey, Pears and Martin, I certainly will not do that.

            2. Kap signed a contract Seb. Now I am seriously wondering if you have a grasp of CONTRACT LAW? Besides the fact that the notion of not wanting to spend money is nonsense, if it wasn’t stated, in writing, within the 4 corners of the contract, as judge Judy would say, it’s a non issue. Even if they verbally told him if he signed a team friendly deal, will use the extra money to retain, sign talented players. Once you actually right up a contract, the only thing binding is what is written within the 4 corners of the written contract, Kap has no basis on that count.

              Let me ask you this. If it was in fact true, that Blaine Gabbert, a backup at the time, was watching 5 times more film than the starting QB, who was clearly struggling to make reads, shouldn’t teammates have a right to know that?

              1. 49, Gabbert may have turned on his computer and left it on all day. It may have been on, but it did not mean he read or used it at all.
                That fact was proprietary info, and never should have been divulged. It was leaked to smear Kaep.

            3. Seb

              I believe that what 49r is saying is that is the life and breath of contract law….Are all of these so-called ‘promises’ down on paper ? What this all amounts to is “Shut up and deal !” Noone likes it, but it is what it is…

              1. Ore, for many years, I would do business on a handshake, and never got burned because I always fulfilled my promises.
                If I had to deal with the Niners, I would get it down on paper in triplicate.

              2. Ore, there is such a thing as GOOD FAITH in any agreement. Kaep can stipulate that they promised to retain talent if he signed that team friendly deal, but cheated him by reneging on their promises.

      2. Cincy got some pretty good compensation for Palmer. The Raiders 2012 first rounder and 2013 second rounder.

        Even if CK’s not close to Palmer, a 5th rounder seems very unlikely.

        1. I think the value in Kaepernick is in the contract not the player. A series of one year deals with minimal cap hit seems to be the negotiating power.

  4. I wonder if they’ll sign Evan Mathis…

    I like Chris Chester if he can with a Delorean and a flux capacitor.

  5. 18 mill per for 7 starts….Houston has won the Redskins Kings of FA award.

    I can’t believe he left Denver with a 16+ mill per year offer on the table. This is going to backfire spectacularly for Houston and Osweiler.

    1. No, I think that the Texans are poised to get to the AFCC Game. They have Watt and that third ranked defense. Their offense just got a lot better with Osweiler, Lamar Miller and Jeff Allen.
      Wonder how they will do against that Bronco Defense.

  6. Tweet of the day so far:

    Damien Woody ‏@damienwoody 3m3 minutes ago
    Man…Andrew Luck gonna get an ownership stake with the #Colts with these other QBs signing these crazy deals

        1. I think he means the 49ers could never bring themselves to sign Goff to his second contract if he is worth a second contract.

  7. Bacari Rambo became an ufa today. Any interest? I know people liked him back in the draft.

    1. Isn’t Rambo a safety? Would you make him an ILB? We’re pretty set at the safety positions.

      1. According to Grant the defense of the future is 4 DL and 7 230lb safeties

        1. Now I would like to see that defense against Brady and a bunch of Christian McCaffreys.

  8. Wish it was NFCW teams that were killing themselves with bad deals.

  9. Hey, I think we at least need to give YorBaalke due praise for re-siging Ian Williams.

    Classic take care of your own Trent signing with Ian and Purcell nice young bowling ball studs for the future.

    Prob not going for A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed, Austin Johnson in draft.

    OL, ILB and Edge Rushers (oh and the QB sitch)

    1. Looking at the contracts going down even for some of the DL and you have to realize that there just wasn’t a market for Williams or he’d very likely be cashing in at the moment.

  10. Does the outrageous Osweiler deal say more about the Texans front office or the current class of QB’s in this years draft.

    1. It says that the Texans Coaches and Management are under a lot of pressure from the owner to win and have acted accordingly. They are taking a massive gamble to try and win with a semi veteran QB and a good defense.

      1. I think it also says the Texans don’t believe they have a chance at a top QB in this draft.

        1. True story Scooter, but the owner has been pretty vocal about how he expects the team to be winning, so I have little doubt this is in direct response to that. The Coaches and GM don’t have the luxury of developing a rookie QB.

    2. This FA period is all about the coming $30M increase in salary cap happening over the next few years. The fact that Vernon just got a $17M yearly average and Jenkins just got $12.5M average, with $80M guaranteed between the two, shows that this is not a QB-specific spending mania. This is a result of the most recent TV deal and the CBA.

  11. If Kap really is the backup plan for Denver, then Baalke might be able to get a high draft pick – maybe as high as second in 2016 and another pick next year. On PFT:

    “Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports the 49ers are not interested in trading Colin Kaepernick.

    Kaepernick is reportedly the Broncos “backup plan” after Brock Osweiler signed with the Texans, but the 49ers are remaining resolute in their desire to keep the troubled quarterback around. It may just be a negotiating ploy, but it looks like the Broncos will have to pay a pretty penny to pry Kaepernick away. The good news for San Francisco is Denver is likely desperate. “

  12. of cours the Niners are going to say they have no intention of trading Kap. Trent at least has a high school degree. Hold the leverage and drive the price….

    Hopefully in a some pipe dream niners fantasy, there is a bidding war between a team like CLE and DEN…

  13. There are invisible highways between certain teams that players seem to travel down after becoming free agents. For many years there were two express lanes leading out of SF, one to Oakland and the other to KC.

    It appears there is also one between Denver and Chicago.

  14. Hmmm is my boy Mettenberger about to become available??!!

    Paul KuharskyVerified account
    ‏@PaulKuharskyNFL
    Titans have agreed to one- year deal with QB Matt Cassell. http://

  15. TJE was a RFA and the team didn’t make him an offer so although they are working on a long term deal he’s technically a FA.

    1. The Niners biggest needs were Offensive Guard, ILB next to Bowman, and a pass rusher. With $62 million in cap room (minus $10 million for the rookie pool), the Niners miss out on Osmele, the best guard available, and Trevathan, the best ILB available. Osmele I understand, given the Raiders are paying him to play LT, but what the hell is Baalke doing? Because he isn’t improving the team…especially with YOUNG talent like Osmele and Trevathan, who will still be helping the team when they can come back to playoff contention.

      If we don’t sign Oliver Vernon, I guess the Front Office just doesn’t care.

      1. It is very clear that we have cheapskate ownership
        They don’t care about winning.
        It took fans paying for banners and empty stadiums to get them to pay for Chip Kelly
        These guys are going to drag their heels on spending in FA
        They will ship off Kap (good luck to him)
        And be happy with Rebuilding through the draft. We have years of bottom feeding left with this ownership.

        What we need are new owners.
        -Faisal

  16. Seemingly no buzz for Boldin. Guess he’s moved into tier2 FA land.

  17. – Alex Boone’s deal 4 years $26.8m, $10m fully guaranteed. 2016 cap is $6.7m. Totally reasonable, especially when he’s been a swing tackle in the past. There must have been some bad blood with 49er front office from the holdout.

    – I wonder if the 49ers could smooth a trade with the cap strapped Broncos by eating some of CKs 2016 pay as part of a sign-n-trade.

    – Eagles trade Miami Alonso+Maxwell+ 13th overall for Miami’s 8th overall pick.

    Could they be aiming at a Goff/Wentz? The Eagles have no 2nd rounder, but they do have two 3rd rounders in case they want to move a little higher.

  18. What do you guys think of CJ Anderson? He’s not a feature back but he’d be a good change up back for Hyde. Loads better than Davis or Draughn.

    “Wednesday, 1:25 The 49ers are interested in running back C.J. Anderson, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Anderson is a former undrafted free agent.”

    1. Wilson

      Love Anderson. Thought they’d keep him, was hoping for Hillman. Anderson is the guy.

    1. Olivier Vernon: 5 years, $85m, $52.5m guaranteed.

      Holy smokes! $17m a year? I wonder how much money Aldon Smith lost because of his off field stuff.

      1. Makes Bruce Irvin’s contract $12.5m fully guaranteed, $39m max over four years seem pretty reasonable.

      1. It sure is. Some people on here – Razor and others – were arguing that interior linemen are worth more than pass rushers …

    2. Well….. there goes my last hope.

      Ah well…. Wow Grant your blue-print has been holding up so far with the re-signing of IW and potential signing of Smith….Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it.

  19. I’m seeing big deals going down for pass rusher but not so much for coverage guys…

      1. $13M a year is the market value this season on good CB’s. They didn’t overpay for him.

        1. I don’t mean to say they didn’t over pay I mean that $13M for a CB isn’t going to be called a monster deal.

        2. Yeah maybe, but still a big money deal considering the guarantee is second only to Revis at the position.

    1. Look no further than the most recent Super Bowl in order to explain why that’s happening.

  20. That big free agency everyone was expecting in 2012 is just a few years late.

  21. remember “fully guaranteed” doesn’t mean jack. it’s still all about the signing bonus and the numbers in the first couple of years.

    1. AFFNP

      Fully guaranteed means everything. Guaranteed or “rolling guarantees” are meaningless.

  22. Pete Prisco ‏@PriscoCBS 10m10 minutes ago
    Anybody who took a pre-FA deal from their team is right now thinking: What the hell did I do?

  23. CJ Anderson becoming a hot commodity, pretty much rules out the 49ers at having a chance.

    1. Lots of people said O in FA, D in the draft. Niners still strong on Anderson, tons of loot left to spend.

  24. Bruce Irvin’s contract $12.5m fully guaranteed, $39m max over four years………Baalke missed out on that one

  25. WTF….is going on…….how can we win if we don’t have the players……..Baalke what are you doing????…….at least just give me one big FA signing……….

  26. Grant, how do you feel about Brent Grimes? Hes a pro bowler and has an awesome last name

      1. Grant, you want a right side 28 year old, right? Your response was non-responsive.

      2. His wife is the bigger issue. She can’t stay out from in front of her keyboard or off her twitter account. She has dismantled his career. Her antics may cause him to retire.

  27. Eric Branch ‏@Eric_Branch 2m2 minutes ago
    Combined guaranteed $ for Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Malik Jackson: $123 million. Combined Pro Bowls: 0.

    ————–
    I’d say that’s pretty significant except the voting for the pro bowl is a total joke.

  28. Chiefs just got hammered for getting caught…I mean not playing by the rules. Lost their 2016 third and their 2017 6th.

    1. Meanwhile they have retained most of their defense and also nabbed a quality RT. I think they could care less about losing picks right now.

        1. Maybe, but bringing back their defensive unit from last season and signing a quality RT has probably dulled the pain.

  29. Combined guaranteed money for Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Malik Jackson: $123 million. Combined Pro Bowls: 0 – Eric Branch

    I’d like to congratulate Trent Baalke on three very successful non-signings. (not sarcasm)

    It does make losing out on Bruce Irvin a little odd. His contract now seems eminently reasonable. Its also a shame Baalke and Boone couldn’t kiss and make up. The Vikings got a solid guard that might be able to play swing tackle. Big value there.

      1. Yes It’s a shame we missed out on a guy who hasn’t been as productive as Ahmad Brooks even while surrounded with defensive talent. Meh…

  30. W the FA signings, I think the 49ers actually have some very good leverage per Kap due to his contract being so cheap and I would even entertain keeping him at this point to see if Kelly can do anything with him- and if they do move him, I think w the attractiveness of his contract that the 49ers get at least a 3rd.

    I have no problem w Baalke not jumping in early, he never does…….

    1. I’ve been laughing my head off at all the hand wringing and angst at Niners Nation the last few days.

      2017 will probably have less 32-team combined cap space, possibly a better FA market (hard to tell who will be extended).

      Roll the cap space over. Make a killing in 2017.

          1. Yeah, but here’s the thing. I think Jed will be very less than thrilled with the ever dwindling number of seats filled at Levi’s.

      1. Doesn’t usually work that way though Brodie. Many teams will have cap space next year with another expected jump in the cap limit along with the usual cuts that will take place to free up room. This FA period is also unlike most in that there were a number of players available who were only on their second contract. That is where you want to spend your money especially in the Niners situation where they have few of their own FA’s to re-sign.

        I get that you want to find the positive side, and not signing big names is not the end of the world, but so far the Niners have missed out on some good young core players that would have made up for their awful 2012 draft. We’ll see what happens over the next few days. Maybe they’ll make some bargain signings that bring volume over quality which can also work out well.

  31. JR Sweezy to the Bucs. Not surprised the 49ers skipped him after extending Ian Williams. Would have been an awkward locker room situation.

  32. What the heck is Baalke doing? His team is in dire need of help on the oline, and while all the guys get snatched up it’s crickets in Santa Clara.

      1. While the weakest part of his team gets weaker.

        When it comes to offense it’s like he’s just throwing darts at the wall. He has no clue.

              1. For the life of me, I do not understand why they decided to move Boone to LG when he would have been better utilized if he had moved to RT. Sounds like Brandon Thomas could only play LG, so he shut BT out. Pears then would have moved into Deveys’ spot and the O line woes would have been lessened. Tiller showed he could play both guard positions, so if they had just been smart instead of being vindictive, the season could have been saved.

          1. Grant

            I told you Boone wouldn’t come back. No chance. If there’s anyone more disenchanted with the 49ers than Kaepernick, it’s Boone.

    1. Amini Silatolu or Geoff Schwartz

      +

      Draft pick

      +

      Staley, Tiller, Kilgore, Brown, Davis, Thomas, Martin, Kelly

  33. Sean smith and cj Anderson would leave.

    Ilb
    Olb
    Guard
    Wr

    For draft

    He really should try to pick up some sort of oline help in free agency.

    1. Its possible Baalke likes Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin better than the rest of us.

      This is the same GM that took 3 years and 4 training camps to realize Joe Looney wasn’t working out.

      1. It’s also possible/probable that he has a hard time admitting that he made a mistake.

      2. Problem is ol was atrocious last year.

        I guess I haven’t fully assessed our ols skill sets with chip Kelleys system.

        But it still seems odd to sit back on this two years in a row.

      3. Brodie

        Google something like “curious case of Brandon Thomas” — there’s something fishy there. I think he’s going to blossom in 2016.

  34. Boone at 6 million a year for 4 years is not a bad contract.

    Ideally it would be 4-5 million per year but still not bad to me.

    1. Boone had a negative run blocking grade for 2015. Between him being a malcontent and his worsening performance. Good riddance. Of course, this was assuming Baalke got another guard.

        1. Nothing at all. Balkee doesn’t play bidding war. Especially with jeds money.

          1. Baalke and McCloughan made Nate Clements the highest paid defensive player ever back in ’07.

            1. As a scout how much say did Baalke have in a) the final decision to sign him and b)how much they paid him?

              Do you think if Baalke was GM and not McCloughan that the team would have given Nate that contract?

            2. That was one mistake. But they needed to establish themselves. Just like now. They need to establish themselves as committed to winning. They may have to overpay. Not because the player is worth it but for the psychology of it.

            3. Yes sir, bit was that balkees call or McCloughn, because since that bust, Balkee hasn’t done the same thing since. Unless you count torrey Smith last year

      1. But Mark Davis is willing to spend the money whereas I have yet to see the Yorks spend money in any meaningful way so far

        I don’t see them as being committed to a winning team

    1. We used to have an edge in being the better team. But now raiders are still aggressive in FA and the better team (can’t believe I just said that).

      1. The raiders have been more aggressive in free agency than the Niners the past 20 years. What has it gotten them again?

        1. It’s gotten them nothing. But in regards to landing a player who might be choosing between us and them it will get them that player as they are the better team and the more aggressive one.

          We used to be able to lure some players to us despite not overpaying when we were a good team.

          Now we are horrible team with horrible ownership and management.

          It’s so crazy that when Jed and Baalke landed harbough the talk was how things were finally turning corner and how Jed was more like Eddie and not like John York.

          In just a couple years he managed to crush all of that good favor.

          I guess u can take the Jed out of the hood but u can’t take the hood out of the Jed

          1. Your right about 1 thing, the raiders are more aggressive. But in free agency talk, that’s another saying for over bidding and over paying those who chose them over other teams. Doesn’t mak them better, just means they offered more money

            1. i made three points. That’s cool if I’m right about one of them. i actually think we are saying the same thing but in different ways

              But I think I’m also right about the raiders being a better team at this time.

              And i think I’m right about if a player has a similar or close to similar contract on the table that he would be more likely to choose the raiders. Because 1) raiders would sweeten the deal more so than the niners 2) the raiders are the better team.

              im not saying the raiders way of overpaying for everyone is the way to go. I actually think it is a stupid way to go. But I’m saying we no longer have leverage over them. We don’t have a good coach (until her proves different), good gm, good owner, good team; there’s a good chance the player will be discredited by leaks and the contract won’t be as good.

              sign me up!

  35. Here’s your new starter: User Actions
    Follow

    Rand GetlinVerified account
    ‏@Rand_Getlin
    I’m told QB Thad Lewis has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the #49ers. Gets an opportunity to continue playing for Chip Kelly.

    :)

    1. And people have been getting on Baalke about not making a splash in free agency. You happy now?!

  36. It’s only the first day, but there may be some truth to the fact FA’s may not want to come here due to what’s transpired the past couple of years with the front office leaks and the Kelly factor. Too early to panic, but that possibility exists.

    1. A decent season (7-9 to 8-8), with good team moral, and not too many defensive snaps could make the 49ers a more attractive landing spot for FAs in 2017. Especially vets looking for their 3rd contract.

      If that’s the case, the 49ers would be the kings of free agency in 2017.

      1. You must be positing that no one in the organization will be the target of defaming leaks. How would continued leaks about a current scape goat effect your vision of a new Camelot?

    2. No truth to that nonsense. It’s all about $$$.

      Which NFL team does not leak? NFL players are not all babies they are business men. It’s all business.

      I even will agree #7 motivation for a trade is more about the contract he signed and less of a friendly locker room.

      1. Not the way the Niners do. It’s at another level.

        It’s almost as though they have hired 3-4 YouTube sensations or bloggers or vloggers to just run social media smear campaigns.

        No one wants to paraded online to be discredited.

        If contracts are close to each other I would pick the raiders any day right now.

    3. Rocket…. I would think the Kelly factor would drive offensive played here. I would just assume the Niners aren’t interested in these high dollar 1st day free agents. Especially with so many holes. Just my opinion

      1. I don’t think so. Many players complained about the practices and urine testing Kelly did in Philly. There is also the personality conflicts he had with some players. It may turn out to be nothing, but we’ll see where things stand in a few days.

        And again just so we’re clear, I didn’t mean you shouldn’t have an opinion with what I said yesterday. I was simply pointing out it doesn’t matter what we think is too high because the NFL has it’s own financial reality. We are obviously going to talk about it, but it’s not going to change. The NFL is a money making machine.

    4. Rocket,

      I understand why one would hold that position, but almost all credible national reporters I’ve heard offer an opinion, reject, out of hand, the notion that players won’t come to play for Kelly.

  37. OK, who the heck is Thad Lewis? We now have a Thad and a Ray Ray. Nice to see we won’t run out of warm bodies for training camp.

    1. I don’t know Jack what do you think? Gabbert goes down in week 8 and Lewis puts the team on his shoulders and takes them to 12-4 after being 4-4 at the switch.

    2. Here’s a bit on PFT:

      49ers signed QB Thad Lewis, formerly of the Eagles, to a one-year contract.

      Lewis spent last season holding a clipboard for Sam Bradford in Philadelphia. He’ll slide in as San Francisco’s No. 3 quarterback behind Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick. Lewis hasn’t seen an NFL snap since 2013 when he started six games for Buffalo.

      1. Lewis has shown a few flashes during his NFL stint. Probably his best game was as a Buffalo Bills backup coming in against the Bengals, but other than that is nothing more then TC fodder.

        Will Chip even consider Dylan Thompson at some point?
        In any case, with a deep cap purse to weld around I’m not to crazy about this signing. There’s a reason why Lewis has been a benchwarmer throughout his young NFL career.

        The 49ers will likely draft a QB with their first pick as it now looks as if Kap is on his way out. But this is the scenario I painted almost two months ago with Gabbert holding down the reigns as the ‘bridge’ QB until our future QB is ready to take the wheel.

        There has to be a very uneasy feeling in 49ersnation this morning as the hated raiders the most unstable franchise in football because of their uncertainty in Oaktown have been scooping up FA players that would have loved a chance to play with the 49ers just a few years ago.

        Reggie McKenzie is ‘killin it’ while Baalke still seems to be sleepwalking.
        Jed needs to rid himself of Trent ASAP!

  38. What Denver might offer for Colin Kaepernick:

    “What would be a proper trade? I’d suggest something like a conditional mid-round pick, in the 4th-to-6th-round range that could rise to a 2nd-rounder if certain levels are hit (starts made, playoff berth, etc.)…

    Denver has traded away a lot of its 2016 draft stash, so it might mean Elway would have to offer a higher round from 2017 or maybe swap a 3rd for a 49ers 5th, that sort of thing.”

    Reasonable?

    1. The market for Kap may be a bit complicated. If the 49ers truly want to trade Kap they will pull out the 2012-2013 CK card. The interested team(s) will pull out the 2014-2015 CK card.

      Based on those stats and good to poor seasons there will likely be a mutual trade value in the mid 4-6 rd with the standard extra future late rd pick based on CK’ performance.

      Kap is broken and the fact that he carries any value to another team would bode well for the 49ers.

  39. I’m looking for the team to try to pickup Geoff Schwartz at guard – brother to Mitchell.

  40. Baalke pitting wits with Elway? You toss in the CK7 entourage getting background assistance from Harbaugh and the hammerhead sparks will be nonstop. Better get Cassie on scene as a consultant for her pops that should even the odds. Jed should stay out of this stew it is for real men only not family appointed CEO’s. I was wondering as a locker room peace offering if Chipper will allow 53 team Captains this year- all important stuff.

  41. ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned Mike Glennon as a possible trade target for Denver.

    The Broncos were caught off guard by Brock Osweiler leaving to join the Texans and are now scrambling to find a starting quarterback. Glennon was moderately successful as a rookie in 2013 but lost his job to Josh McCown the following season and didn’t play at all behind Jameis Winston in 2015. Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin have also been mentioned as possible replacements for Osweiler.

    1. Mike Glennon would be a great option for Denver. I wanted the Niners to trade for him before Kelly was hired, but he would fit Kubiak’s offense as well or better than Osweiler.

  42. Anyone know about the Cards Ted Larsen?

    For perspective, PFF has him FA ranked a few slots above Joe Looney.

    1. Only the #72 ranked G on PFF’s list. Devey and Pears are tied for #73, no joke.

      1. PFF says Larson’s been getting worse the last 4 years.

        2015 was -25.8
        2014 was -10.8
        2013 was -7.7
        2012 was -1.6

        Horrible

  43. Here’s our replacement for Boone (says the cynical man):

    On PFT:

    Free agent OL Ted Larsen will visit the 49ers.

    Larsen was, flatly, terrible for the Cardinals last season, but can play any spot along the interior. The 49ers need a new left guard after losing Alex Boone, but would be thinking about as small as possible if they were looking at Larsen for a guaranteed starting job.

    1. Chris Chester at 75 years old is still a better signing then Larsen.

  44. Fleener was N.O.’s 2nd choice: Jason La Canfora ‏@JasonLaCanfora 3m3 minutes ago
    Saints agree to terms with Coby Fleener: as reported when Steelers went into lead for Ladarius Green, Fleener became Saints top target

    1. That is really the perfect place for Fleener. Won’t have to block much and will be moved around like a WR.

  45. Denver already leaking inside info on former QB.

    “Mike Klis of KUSA reports that the Broncos began thinking that Osweiler didn’t want to be part of the team when he stopped returning calls from teammates and coaches in the last couple of weeks”

    1. The guys in Denver obviously never went after a girl that was too hot for them otherwise they would have realized sooner he wasn’t interested.

    2. They should’ve probably leaked that he had lost the locker room, that he isolated, that he did not rehab the way he should’ve, that he didn’t study film well and so on, a couple weeks ago to diminish his FA value.

      1. they probably should start leaking how kubiak and peyton had conflicts and how a lot of the players don’t like him. That this was the reason for malik and osweiler leaving the team.

        you know– just to prepare to move on from him in a couple years when his contract is running out.

    3. That also leads to the theory that Houston contacted or somehow got word to him before the legal tampering period began.

  46. Looks like we will be drafting OL in the 1st or 2nd rd.

    I just don’t see Baalke spending on a top FA OLm

    Would think they bring in Mathis, but with Mathis comments about chip I doubt it.

    1st rd – LB
    Trade back to the 1st – G/T

      1. Beachum’s only 26. An ascending player before he got hurt. I wonder how his ACL’s doing.

      2. Forget Howard, PFT is reporting he’s staying with the Chiefs for 2 years, $12M.

      1. Mid

        Good question…where are these guys ? Both Sanu and Prince Amukamra were high quality rooks, and Thurman was high rent for the Seahawks…surely they could help us…. ???

        1. Oregon,
          These could be the type of players Baalke is targeting, he waits for the stupid teams to spend all their money then swoops in and gets players like this on the cheap and doesn’t upset his roster by over paying. Kind of like Carlos Rogers or Donte Whitner.

          1. OC

            My thoughts exactly…a lot of folks on here are in ‘panic mode’, and have been since 1:00 yesterday PM.

            Sanu signed a bit ago, but Amukamura and Thurman are still out there

  47. Can’t wait for 2017… They will have 90 million by then… Wooooooo hooooooo!!!
    Say hello to more empty seats Jed. That “big splash” comment is just another lie!
    It’s been real. But until MY franchise I’ve rooted for my whole life gets a new owner my seats are DONE!!! I’ll remember the great memories at the games. LA and Arz here I come twice a year! DONE!!!!

  48. percy harvin
    mike wallace
    mohamed sanu

    I don’t mind a more prudent way of shopping during FA but Pears, larsen etc for OL are so weird. It would seem like he is getting these guys to be backups. But he has no starters and if last year is any indication he had no plan of how to get a starter.

    So then you wonder if he is getting these guys to start.

    i think he baalke pulls up PFF and tries to see who is at the bottom of their ratings and starts there.

  49. Looking at the players that made it to free agency and the type of contracts being offered I’m plenty content with the team sitting on their hands through this first round. Outside of paying market value for Sean Smith which would be no more then about $13M a year I’m fine passing on most of the names being passed around at the moment. Bring on round two of free agency where and the draft.

    I’m glad the team isn’t acting like 12 year old with a $50 bill in their pocket.

    1. I still haven’t figured this one out; How did Brandon Brooks get paid more then Jeff Allen? I think Allen needs to fire his agent.

    2. Not a fan of going bananas either, but not ONE game changer with 60 million?
      Cheap! And with their past it only proves that theory to be correct!
      Again Baalke is a yorks wet dream with cheapness. And if it’s not that then no player wants to come here without max contract offers. This franchise is a joke! And the Harbaugh debacle will leave them reeling for years! No choice but to draft the 90’s cowboys or 80’s niners.

      1. Most of the players I would consider possible game changers never made it to free agency.

  50. Sarcasm aside.

    Id be ok with Sean smith and cj Anderson.

    Maybe a more serviceable backup ol than Larsen.

    1. The Larsen interest bothers me.

      Best Case – The 49ers grab one of the top guards in free agency.

      Ho-Hum – The 49ers ignore guard in free agency. This could signal Thomas or Martin won’t turn out to stink after all because an undisclosed temporary physical issue.

      Worst Case – The 49ers continue to scramble for any guard that can fog a mirror… for a very good reason!

      Sean Smith would make all the bad feelings from the last few days go away. Well, most of the bad feelings anyhow.

      1. No mention of the 49ers in this blurb on PFT:

        The Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor reports the Chiefs “are making a strong push” to re-sign free agent CB Sean Smith.

        Oakland is also interested after striking out on Janoris Jenkins. Arguably the best corner left on the market, Smith will try to goad the teams into a bidding war. The Chiefs pass defense was a mess early, but it solidified after Smith returned from a three-game suspension.

        1. OTOH:

          Jeff Darlington ‏@JeffDarlington · 1h1 hour ago

          Jeff Darlington Retweeted Nick

          Last I heard on Sean Smith, the 49ers were the big players. But it’s been hours.

        2. Everything else being equal, the Chiefs have an 8.5% advantage on state income tax and a very big advantage on property values for someone who would have to move from Kansas to The Bay Area. I would think they would have to top the Chief’s offer by at least $2M per year, and probably more if the player is happy where he is.

          If you don’t count the drought, the weather is one of our best advantages.

      2. B2W,

        I totally understand what you’re saying, here. The only possible mitigating factor would be if it’s a low dollar, low (or, preferably, no) guaranteed money contract.

        Even so, why would they want a guy with Larsen’s profile?

        1. Great question. Scheme fit? (pure speculation at this point). A Revenge of the Birds description of him was “he’s like another Adam Snyder.”

          But that’s the latter Snyder after he was done with the 49ers.

  51. Well, I said that the situation was so toxic that decent FAs would avoid the Niners like the plague, and so far it is going in that direction.
    Baalke did sign Williams so it is not a total bust.
    Signing Devey, Thad and Larsen just made the team worse.

    1. I have to give you credit for correctly calling Denver a potential landing spot for Kaepernick before anyone else. You correctly predicted Osweiler going to Houston first as well. I would have bet the farm that Kaepernick had no chance of being considered legitimately for Denver.

      I still think RG III is the more likely option for Denver, because of the value of the contract securing Kaepernick.

      1. Matt, personally I think RGIII would have the best success if he went to Dallas and studied behind Romo.
        If he wants to start, the Rams are a logical choice. The Broncos, Jets or Cards could also be intriguing landing spots. Not Texas or the Eagles, they both signed franchise QBs.

  52. Interesting strategy by Baalke. Identify and sign the camp bodies first and then go after potential core building blocks. I wonder why this strategy isn’t universally used…….(where’s that sarcasm font).

    1. “Interesting strategy by Baalke. Identify and sign the camp bodies first and then go after potential core building blocks. I wonder why this strategy isn’t universally used…….(where’s that sarcasm font).”

    2. Not sure why this needs sarcasm. It actually looks like it might be partially true. He’s signed a bunch of marginal guys so far, with a solid haul in Williams and a look-and-see on RayRay.

      1. Would the sarcastic remark be “I wonder why this strategy isn’t universally used…….”?

      2. Htwaits and Silicon Chip

        Ht good point on your sarcasm chip…Silicon good pickup on “maybe it’s not sarcasm…?”

        And it’s not a bad plot…lots of FA’s went ahead of the pack…needs to play out….

  53. TY, Matt, it is nice to get acknowledgement.
    Denver does have a decent QB right now. Trevor Siemian of Northwestern, who has big shoes to fill. I would think they would pass on RGIII and go for Josh Johnson, who ran a 4.4 forty, as another option.
    With their defense, the Broncos will do well no matter who their QB is. I just think Elway saw Kaep practice during the preseason, and surmise he would value Kaeps skills and be able to get back to the SB with him.

    1. Behind a line that can protect him and a strong running game, Kaep is servicable, and, if his team has a strong defense, he can take them to the playoffs. Hopefully, Elway sees that and is willing to deal.

      1. Denver will wait them out, and give as little as possible. The contract that many thought was too high now looks like a great bargain. Denver should offer 2 picks. A 7th this year, and a conditional 5th next year. If they win another SB, the 5th is upgraded to a first.

        1. In a free agent market and draft with the QB position being classified as very weak? Not likely.

  54. There’s been a lot of here say around the Baalke/Elway connection. I suppose we did send Vernon their way. I could see it happening. I could also see RGIII there as well. Someone pointed out Robert’s strained relationship with Shannahan trickling down to Kubiak and Elway. Glennon is an interesting option.

  55. The Bowlen name will forever tower over York. And John Elway, no saint himself, will swindle not-so-young, should-have-been fired two years ago Baalke, and the 49ers will dwell in mediocrity, while the Broncos return to the dynastic.

    For this Twin Super Bowl Winners Elway and Gary Kubiak have shown they are adept.

    http://sports.yahoo.com/news/money-wasn-t-only-reason-brock-osweiler-dissed-john-elway-and-broncos-035114426.html

    They smoothly derailed a young QB to Houston, and are about to land themselves Colin Kaepernick, whom Jim Harbaugh and John Elway both believe in, as evidenced by their recent tenor of affinity.

    York is said to love Kaepernick, but fights against a GM who wants him out. This GM selects offensive line players such as Jonathan Martin, Brandon Thomas, and Marcus Miller. He selects skill players such as LaMichael James, AJ Jenkins, Vance McDonald, and Bruce Ellington, while guys such as Martavis Bryant are still available. This GM loves Blaine Gabbert’s game.

    I’m sorry, fellas, but if John Elway wants Colin Kaepernick, who Jim Harbaugh also coveted, and I’m York, then I’m looking at Trent Baalke tonight through crooked eyes, and he’s getting his walking papers in the morning.

    But Baalke owns Jed York, and so this team will lose Colin Kaepernick to John Elway, while we get to keep Gabbert with Baalke. Remove your fandom, your allegiance to the 49ers, and see the real picture. John Elway is about to fleece the 49ers and steal the most dangerous offensive weapon in the NFL.

      1. You see the Eagles traded Vernon Maxwell and Kiko Alonso to the Dolphins and were able to move up five spots AND get a 4th from Miami?

        That means that Miami gave up a 4th Rd pick and its own #8 pick to Philadelphia for Maxwell, Alonso, and the #13 pick.

          1. Maybe Baalke sends Kaep and a 4th to Denver for its 1st and a conditional 2017 pick.

            1. Well, I think the trades will range from a Anquan Boldin deal to a RGIII deal.
              Maybe Kaep and a 5th to Denver for a 2nd and 2017 5th conditional.

    1. We will wake up tomorrow morning to find that the 49ers have a new GM promoted from inside the organization. It’s in the cards. ;-}

  56. Tomorrow, I hope Baalke will pull his head out of the sand and sign;
    Nick Fairly
    Nick Perry
    Zach Brown
    Michael Harris
    Keenan Robinson
    Red Bryant
    Ryan Seymour
    Demarcus Dobbs
    Clifton Geathers
    Or Kendall Reyes.

  57. The team shouldn’t keep Kaepernick. Get whatever value they can get. I would get a 3rd this year with based on performance a 4th or 5th next year which can move up to a 2nd. Before making trade get RG3 to agree to sign with niners. That way u have the competition with Gabbert. Draft a QB 2nd or 3rd Round this year. We need to give Anthony Davis a call tell him to hurry unretire. We need to get a good interior lineman through free agency.

  58. Raider signed Smith……Baalke is a big loser

    4 yrs – 40 mill – 20 guarantee……

    I just find it hard to believe baalke couldn’t/didn’t offer a bit more………maybe it is true FA don’t want to be part of the 49ers…….

  59. Raiders picked up Osemele, Irvin and Smith. Looks like they had a really good FA. We’ll be talking about how it really worked out next year.

    1. Irvin and smith were good deals…….no excuse from baakle, he dropped the ball on this one….

  60. Remaining Top FA

    Is Prince Amukamara, CB better than what we currently have on the roster?
    Will Mathis come cheap?

    1. Eric Weddle, S
    2. Jaye Howard, DT
    3. Russell Okung, OT
    4. Prince Amukamara, CB
    5. Reggie Nelson, S
    6. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB
    7. Chris Long, DE
    8. Nick Fairley, DT
    9. Arian Foster, RB
    10. Robert Ayers, DE
    11. Andre Smith, OT
    12. Kelvin Beachum, OT
    13. Walter Thurmond, DB
    14. Jerrell Freeman, ILB
    15. Donald Penn, OT
    16. Casey Heyward, CB
    17. Aldon Smith, OLB
    18. B.J. Raji, NT
    19. Greg Hardy, DE
    20. Anquan Boldin, WR
    21. Terrance Knighton, DT
    22. Rashad Johnson, S
    23. Alfred Morris, RB
    24. Evan Mathis, OG
    25. Mike Wallace, WR
    26. Cedric Thornton, DE
    27. Jermaine Kearse, WR
    28. Jahri Evans, OG
    29. Mike Neal, OLB/DE
    30. Junior Galette, OLB

    1. Mathis won’t come at all because of his feud with Chip. I wonder if Baalke will try to bring Aldon Smith back?

      1. Scks about Mathis. Wish we grabbed him last year, but another pass by Niners. Mathis made right decision ;)

        Aldon is done until Nov and maybe all 2016, at least that is what I read.

        1. We could still bring Aldon on. I don’t think he would count towards the 53 until he’s actually available. We have plenty of money. Yes, I’m feeling desperate.

          1. How will you feel if Aldon hits another stationary object with his car after signing with your 49ers?

      2. I just don’t understand the suggestion. What possible reason would Baalke have to bring back Aldon Smith?

        1. I don’t think there is any doubt that Baalke had(has) a soft spot for Aldon and we need OLB help in the worst way. Of course the contract would be very reasonable with all sorts of opportunities to get rid of Smith the moment he slips up.

          1. The team extended Aldon more then just one second chance and he burned them hard each time and then when he did leave he finished burning down the bridge by taking shots at the team.

        2. Yep I think the Aldon Smith ship has sailed. I think he’ll wind up back in Oakland once his suspension is over.

  61. It is awesome that the 49ers came into free agency with so much cap space and they’ve put it to such good use.

  62. Ian Rapoport
    ✔ ‎@RapSheet #49ers received some calls, but nothing too serious on QB Colin Kaepernick yesterday. Should ramp up today. #Broncos have some interest

  63. Sean Smith is a Raider.

    Feeling extra special glad that we didn’t fire Baalke.

    1. I’ve got a shiny nickle that says it was the guaranteed money that they wouldn’t agree to.

      God I hate Trent Baalke.

      1. Yeah, he’s terrible. Bottom line, his approach has not won us a Super Bowl. Since 2012, we have essentially gotten worse every year.

  64. I hate to say I told you so [not really] but I pretty much nailed the 9ers first day.
    No major signings
    Many hysterical 49er fans
    I predicted that Baalke wouldn’t make a major splash on the first day but would wait untill day 3 or 4 or 5 or 6…. and he would then make 5 or 6 signings and not over pay. Now lets take a look at who he might sign.
    A. Boldin
    1 possibly 2 of the many OT’s available moving one of them inside and the other to compete with T. Brown for the swing tackle spot.
    J. Freeman
    C. Fleener
    C.J. Anderson
    M. Neal
    Then we trade back and draft an OLB in the first rd picking up an extra 2nd where we pick a G and an ILB and of course draft Hogan later in the draft. imho

    1. Well said OldCoach, but Baalke needed to go about it differently this year imo. That strategy was fine when they had a solid foundation of talent, but they don’t have that anymore. There is really nothing to be gained by ignoring the young players available who were on only their second contracts and wading through the leftovers. They need a major talent infusion and relying on the draft and bargain FA shopping hasn’t worked out too well recently.

      I’m not throwing my hands up and giving up by any means, but for the second off season in a row, the Niners seem to be operating by the seat of their pants with no logical plan for getting this team back to contention anytime soon.

      1. The Baalke method worked when the roster was strong which meant that the cap room had to be low.

        Now that the cap room is high, and getting very much higher in relation to other high cap room teams, it’s hard to understand using the Baalke method. Will someone point this out to Jed, or did John write it into Trent’s contract?

      2. I don’t think it’s Baalke
        I think he has been handicapped by the ownership who don’t want to him to spend money. It’s the Dorky way!

        Just look at the York’s track record.

    2. The bright spots are signing Williams and extending Dial. I like that we retained Celek.

      I’m also glad Baalke didn’t sell the farm for Olivier Vernon or Malik Jackson.

      I’m not happy we haven’t landed O-line help and a running back so far in FA. We certainly could afford Sean Smith and Bruce Irvin. Immediate upgrades to the defense.

      But the cheapness argument as to why big name FAs haven’t been signed makes little sense. If the NFL gave the 49ers 20 percent more cap space than the other 31 teams, do you think Jed or Baalke would refuse?

      The Yorks are greedy, but not cheap. If Baalke’s making mistakes, its valuation or other management mistakes, not cheapness.

      1. Brodie, there are two sides to your coin. You point them out as greed and cheapness.

        If the York operation stays just inside the minimum under the very complex cap rules, then the Yorks may be called cheap by the uninformed as they rack up greedy dollars in additional profit.

        As President Clinton used to say, “It’s the bottled water, stupid!”

  65. Michael Silver ‏@MikeSilver · 6m6 minutes ago

    2) The 49ers likely want a second-round pick; Broncos may be willing to part with a third. The dance continues.

    1. I think it will take a third this year and a conditional third next. The Donkey’s have two third round picks this year although they aren’t very high. If Baalke doesn’t pull the trigger simply because he doesn’t get a 2nd I’m going to go burn down his house.

  66. Michael Silver ‏@MikeSilver · 6m6 minutes ago

    3) I’m told Kaepernick is likely willing to restructure contract to Broncos’ liking… Though, to be fair, it is somewhat team-friendly…

  67. I never thought Baalke would actually pay a CB $13million when the next starter is making less then $4m but that doesn’t mean I’m still not p.o’d about it.

    1. The good news is CB is one of the deeper FA positions this year. They will likely still pick someone decent up.

      The bad news is the OL and the pass rush stinks, and they have let all the decent FA options sign elsewhere.

      So much cap space. So little clue what to do with it.

  68. Titans making good moves. They just need to release Mettenberger…oh forget it. Trent is too stupid to sign him anyway.

  69. Smith’s contract averages $10 million per year. I thought Baalke might go for that, but agree with your post above that the guaranteed amount might have been a problem. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Smith didn’t want to come here. We’re becoming the Browns of the west coast.

    As much as people hate Jed, I gotta believe he is not very happy right now. I don’t remember the exact wording, but he pretty much said that the team had the resources to make a splash in FA.

    1. Not happy waking up to see we lost out on Sean Smith. His contract seemed reasonable.

      I wonder if age (he’s 28) was a tipping point when it comes to guaranteed money. If he was a year or two younger I’d be POd we didn;t land him.

      I’m hoping for CJ Anderson, but that’s looking dicey too.

      “Hard to imagine that Dolphins’ HC Adam Gase allows his former Broncos RB to leave Miami without a signed offer sheet.” – Adam Schefter

      I’m wondering if the NFL cap raise caused a feeding frenzy that took Baalke by surprise.

    2. You’d have to think they wouldn’t draw the line at 10 mill, or at least I would hope they wouldn’t considering Jenkins signed for 13 mill average the day before. The Raiders have signed 3 starters that would have been impact players for the Niners and given them a lot of flexibility in the draft.

      1. 4 years, $40M with around $20M guaranteed shouldn’t have been too much for the 49ers. But heck, they may have offered more and Smith just wanted to go somewhere he thought had a shot next year of being good.

    3. Cubus, Jed is always making that kind of statement for fans. Follow the money and their actions, never the dialog.

  70. This is why Kaep wants out. First, you don’t want him,then you do. A third pick is great but you want a two? Let him go and move on. They held him to this point to trade him by lying by saying they want him and gonna keep him…signs of a distrustful organization.

    1. I would think CK is moved by the end of the week. This is all just white noise while the behind the scenes work happens. I believe teams are assessing the value. Probably watching what happens with Ryan Fitz.

      1. Denver says they are not in a hurry. They will wait until April 1st, and once Kaep fails his physical and is guaranteed 12 mil, the Niners will get him to sign an injury waiver and he will be free to sign where ever he wants.

  71. Talks have intensified between the 49ers and Broncos re: Kaepernick. But Broncos are not the only suitor. More on nfl network soon – Michael Silver

    1. To echo what Mike Silver is saying, talks heating up. Broncos are out front in trying to trade for Colin Kaepernick. 2 other teams involved. – Ian Rapoport

      1. Compensation for QB Colin Kaepernick has not yet been good enough for 49ers to make deal, source says. Broncos, Jets and Browns involved. – Matt Maiocco

        1. “Per overthecap, a Kaepernick trade (assuming no active players in return) would clear another $8.49M in cap space” – Jeff Deeney

          We could sure use the cap space.

          1. Imagine all the third rate free agents we could sign with that extra cash.

            1. York can use it to pay off all the pilots in the area to not fly banners over the stadium.

            2. When Brooks is gone, I’m guessing about $70M cap space, give or take $5M.

              The 49ers could sign over 50 really crummy offensive linemen, and another 20 washed up running backs.

        2. Wow this Kap trade stuff has escalated quickly. I wonder if we intended on trading him the entire time, and all this we want him on our team stuff was just a front by Baalke and Chip to drive up the price. Also interesting to see the Browns interested, does that mean they are not interested in Wentz, or Goff?

          Also very disappointed that we missed out on Smith. Well my expectations for this season just dropped a few more notches, thanks Baalke.

  72. The 49ers have officially become the Browns. No one wants to play for York and Baalke. As Harbaugh insinuated with his tweet after Tomsula was fired…KARMA. Cannot watch our next debacle…the draft.

  73. If York hadn’t fired the lush McCloughan the team would be one of the top in the league. Baalke has been riding the success of McCloughans choices and decisions and each year away from them the team has deteriorated.

    1. @Coffee,

      My issue with this York / TB thing is this… you can have 1 failure or even 2. But you can’t have 3,4,5 over the recent years.

      1. Not giving JH the keys to the castle, basically whatever he wants. To an extent. Ok, you failed there. Fine it just didn’t work out. But the horrendous head coaches since Mariucci, wow.

      2. To bringing enough FAs to plug holes with above average talent. Sure these guys were EXCELLENT additions over the years: CB-Rogers, FS-Bethea and WR-Boldin

      3. The biggest failure of all – the DRAFT choices and production from these have been a huge detriment. The injured players have not panned out. The lack of impact players is obvious. The fact we think our WRs on the roster need to develop and a chance to prove themselves. It is the Jason Hill conversation every year. Either you are a stud or not. Sick of hearing about Ellington, Smelter, Patton – Potential, hurt, dedicated…blau blau blau…

      Tank C. – WTF… we go an select the Oregon cat last year and we are stacked on the line. Not saying we can’t improve but, dude… really??

      Brandon Thomas and Martin WTF, FA Devey and Pears, really… we can go on and on…

      The point if positives will negate the failures and I’m having a hard time seeing the forest through the trees.

    2. CFC,

      Maybe but McCloughan had a couple of awful drafts before he was canned. His job was starting to take a back seat to Happy Hour.

      1. This webpage has the complete list of Niners drafts for the relevant years:
        http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/draft.htm

        Consider the five drafts in 2005-2009 with Scottie as GM when the team was built up from the expansion team-level talent existing at the end of the 2004 season.
        2005 — 3 starters (1 Pro Bowler, Gore)
        2006 — 4 starters (1 Pro Bowler, Vernon Davis)
        2007 — 5 starters (2 Pro Bowlers, Willis and Staley)
        2008 — 1 brief starter (Josh Morgan)
        2009 — 2 starters (Crabtree and Ricky Jean only briefly a starter)

        2007 draft was Scottie’s high point. 2008 draft was a disaster — in some sense worse than the 2012 draft because of the comparatively lower talent level of the team at that time.

        2010 was a team effort that netted two Pro Bowl caliber linemen and All-Pro ILB in Bowman. Again availability of high draft picks helped.

        Over these years, Gore and Staley are the only two great picks that were not in the top 15. One can argue that Scottie benefited from starting with very low talent level and very high draft picks. Based on the limited data, I’d say that the two GMs have similar level of success. Baalke has played the numbers game that gives him more chance to succeed when he doesn’t have top-15 picks.

    3. That´s ridiculous Coffee.

      You just have to look at 2008 and 2009 drafts to know that McCloughan did not do nearly close to a good job as you claim he did.

      Before 2010 off season the Niners had a terrible OL, a weak WRs corp, no depth at RB, no pass rush, no QB and a weak secondary.

      I don’t think the situation was that much different from today.

  74. Seems clear that the smart agents will use the 49ers as a bargaining chip for their clients this year. Use SF to get the team they want to sign with to offer more money.

    Keep winning with class Jed.

  75. mkawakami

    Gone from “nobody wants Kaepernick” to “49ers have many teams interested.” 49ers sources tend to change their minds swiftly.

    Joe Cisneros ‏@JCbiegellaw · 12m12 minutes ago

    @timkawakami Best guess, 49er mgmt floating story to drive up the asking price from Broncos, who surely don’t want to give up a 2nd rd p.

  76. On an annual basis, Alex Boone only received a little more than what the 49ers paid him last year. And they can’t outbid the Raiders? I understand Baalke’s approach of slotting salary ranges for players, and perhaps that made sense a few years ago when the team was good, but nowadays he will have to overpay to get free agents to sign.

      1. Could fill a “Sproles” type roll in Chip’s offense, presuming Ellington isn’t that guy. I hear you on the ACL thing, but he was explosive when healthy.

      1. Seb

        And that is why you are the laughingstock of this blog. Cheers, little Marco!

        1. Hmm, you would not take a six pack of Coors to get rid of Baalke? I would GIVE a keg of Coors to get rid of him…..

  77. Baalke better not settle for anything less than a 2nd rd pick……+ additional picks from the broncos……..we have full leverage now

    1. No. Jed and Baalke totally screwed up. The leaks and smears. Benching him mid season. Not promising his job back due to injury. Chips damning with faint praise. Banning him from the side line. Sending the leaker to negotiate a pay cut.
      Now they have an injured benched second stringer who lost the locker room and did not study. Kaep is begging to be released because he does not want or need that contract, and has given every sign that he wants to flee this dumpster fire. His rehab in Colorado spoke volumes.

      1. Seb

        give it a rest, will ya’ ? The leaks and smears, the ‘stabbed in the back’, shot in the foot, the promises made to Kaep to rehire old team mates, the locker-room leaks, Aldon’s Girl friend leaks,are all in your mind….you don’t have any proof of any of it other than Jed shot Cock Robin. Over the last 2 weeks, your posts have been good to brilliant on talent evaluation, and some (not all) on tactics on trades…so I know that you DO understand the game. I only wish that you’d show more of that and less of the ‘PO Kaep’ stuff or take out a lease on a condo in Denver….

        I do appreciate you…

        1. Ore, I just wish that you and others would at least concede that it was a poor strategy to have Marathe negotiate with Kaep’s reps.
          You are right, I do not know everything that went down. All I know is that leaks told of Kaep losing the locker room, and the leak about the study times could not be divulged by outsiders.
          The salient point is that there were leaks. No other team has had as many leaks as the Niners. Torrey Smith stated that he never heard of any leaks when he was with the Ravens.
          Yes, you are correct. I like Kaep, and think he was treated shabbily and disgracefully. I predicted he would go to Denver because Elway wants another ring. Seems like Colorado is treating him nicely and with respect. No wonder he is rehabbing there.
          Thank you for saying that I have a scintilla of football knowledge. I do love the game and am a big fan of the sport. I am sorry that I have to bag on the FO, but I just call it as I see it. Hopefully, they will get smarter and start acting like champions, instead of chumps.

    1. For most teams, it would guarantee that, or moving up. For us, probably the opposite, we’ll draft someone like Jaylon Smith, who may never play again.

    2. Yup. The Niners will be forced to pick a QB and miss out on all the elite defensive talent in the first round.

  78. I understand Baalke focuses on Value in the Draft and Free agency. However he also needs to focus on quality. We need to upgrade the talent on this team at almost every position. York should be clear he expects pro bowl caliber talent out of this draft and free agency and some to emerge from the last two drafts.

  79. I’m usually not a pessimist but this free agency is already reminding me of last year. We don’t do much, resign people I wouldn’t consider role players, and then continue on to a mediocre season. It’s going to be another depressing couple of years.

  80. 64 million to work with and Baalke’s looking under rocks for ACLer’s…I can’t help but think the York’s money grubbing is behind this.

    1. About the only thing Trent seems interested in is prying a # 2 pick out of Elway. He’s putting all his eggs in this basket and is going to leave the other areas of the team neglected, then strike out here too.

      1. I think Baalke wants a 1st from Denver. I think he’ll get it.

        If not, something with the Browns and a 1st Rd Swap will happen.

        1. Sil, I still like your idea of a conditional pick next year. Denver should pull the trigger on a second this year and conditional 5th next year.
          Kaep wants to go to Denver, with good reason. They like him and want him. He will just say that he will not play for any other team, and that will destroy his trade value to those teams, but raise his value to the Broncos.

          1. Doesn’t happen like that. Broncos 2nd is same as a 3rd, which is why they’ll have to give up a 1st, and maybe ALSO a conditional 2017 pick, higher than a 5th, ascending based on Kaep’s performance.

            Plus, it’s likely that the 49ers would rather trade Kaep to Cleveland than Denver, so that Kaep lands in a place where it is more difficult for him to succeed, which would make the trade more palatable over time to the 49ers fan base and, in fact, its CEO, Jed York, who likes Kaep, but is just too incompetent and self-conscious to take a stand against Baalke and Marathe.

            1. If Jed wants to keep Kaep, the very first thing he should do is fire Marathe.
              The second thing he should do is invite Kaep over to talk, then bend over and let Kaep give a swift kick to his behind.

              1. Seb

                Right you are. I wrote it last night, in that longer piece that was heavy on the haughty tones. I don’t think the Yorks (Denise) will let Marathe go, but some day soon, Jed will see that Baalke has decimated a franchise that Scot McCloughan stocked full of talent.

                McC was great, Harbaugh was good. The Yorks have always seen reason to screw up the coaching situation, while Baalke has taken steps to ruin the roster.

                Jed York will likely wake up after this season and maybe promote Gamble. I’m just hoping.

              2. Listening to what Elway said, they really want Kaep, so they may need to part with their first. Of course, like you say, it is really just a high second.

              3. I still think they trade the #7 and Kaep for the #2 and hopefully Josh Gordon. Then the 49ers either take Goff, or they use the #2 as leverage to get more impact picks (1st Rd Picks).

              4. Sob! My dream last night was that Jed replaced Baalke this morning, but like most dreams it didn’t come true.

  81. 49er passers have a 117 quarterback rating when targeting Torrey Smith. Anyone still think the Baalke overpaid for him?

    1. Baalke knows what he knows–RUN…It shows his level of dysfunction in paying Smith that price to be part of his run packages.

  82. http://www.49erswebzone.com/commentary/1546-more-things-change-stay-same/

    What about the latter? What if the team is now unable to attract the big time free agents, due to the perceived dis-function that is running rampant through this organization? Normally $60 million in cap room will alleviate this, as players will generally go where the money is, but if players are being genuinely put off by the 49ers front office combined with the prospect of working for Chip Kelly, that is a major problem. It is a problem that is further exacerbated when the general manager is unwilling to pull the trigger in free agency. Agents may also be dissuading their clients from talking to the 49ers as they know Baalke’s strategy well and can make more for their clients (and themselves) by shopping them elsewhere. These two issues may very well be turning San Francisco into Cleveland, from a player’s perspective. Scary thought.

  83. Seb
    My understanding the draft is deep in Defensive talent.
    I also think Goff maybe an excellent choice as the QB of the future; 2017.
    That being said, even if Kap is traded I can still see Baalke drafting for Defense in the first round. Parcells took teams to the Super Bowl without great QBs and that appears to be Baalke’s model.

    1. You may be right, but counting on Gabbert as the starter just solidified a 5-27 QB as the face of the franchise.

  84. Tim Kawakami Verified account 
    ‏@timkawakami
    A week ago: “You idiot, look at all this cap room Jed/Trent will use on free agents!” Today: “You idiot, we never spend on free agents!”

    Retweets

  85. Confirming the Browns are interested in trading for 49ers Kaepernick – Mary Kay Cabot

    1. Gabbert’s a free agent after this season. If the 49ers really love him, I’d expect a contract extension.

      1. Yeah, I’d expect it to happen soon, say two years, $12M. That way, if he blossoms, they have him under contract for 2017, and if he is VERY good, then they have leverage to extend him before he gets to FA and collects $20M.

  86. From what I understand teams must spend 89% of their cap money. For you math majors out there, how much do the 49ers need to spend to get to 89% of the new cap?

    1. 89% of the salary cap cash total between 2013-2016 four year span. At this point last year, they were at 105% of the possible total for those 3 years.

      Let’s do the math. The cap in 2013 was $123M, $133M in 2014, and $143M in 2015, with $155M in 2016. The 49ers, between 2013-2015, spent $420M on players, and have around $75M of contracts this season.

      Here’s what that means:

      In the four years between 2013-2016, if the 49ers don’t spend another dime, they will have spent around $495M out of a possible $555M. So, the math?

      89.1% of the salary cap, which is 0.1% above the least required.

      Kawakami is right. It’s ALL about the money for the Yorks.

      1. Sil, If its all about the money why did they fire Tomsula and most of his staff after one year? That cost them a whole lot of money. They could have given them another yr and saved a lot of dough. I believe many fans as well as writers mistake being cheap with being incompetent.

      2. Sil, Jed does not take into consideration the winning aspect to the bottom line. When the Niners went to 3 NFCCG and the SB, the team’s value skyrocketed. Now that they suck, the value plummeted.
        Investing to get a winning product on the field is the smart way to make money. Saving cap space and being miserly may save money now, but in the long run, it will doom the Niners to be a cellar dweller and hurt the bottom line.

        1. Seb

          You’re not correct about the driver of that value increase; it’s the stadium, pure and simple. Of course, success breeds success, at least in theory, but then you need to see how the Yorks measure success, and it’s clearly in terms of the bottom line, and not, despite what they say, winning. The success that Harbaugh had led to a groundswell of support for the team in Santa Clara, and the 49ers took full advantage to built that billion dollar monstrosity. Now they’re flush, making $100M annually in profit. That is why they are now valued at nearly $3B.

          That’s also why Paraag Marathe isn’t going anywhere. Colin Kaepernick and Chip Kelly are the sideshow. Taylor Swift and Paraag Marathe are the main attractions.

          1. Yes, but losing and displaying alarming amounts of dysfunction will lower the value, no matter what.
            You are correct, the stadium is built and it is a cash cow, but I never saw Marathe take a snap or pass a ball, so he is irrelevant to the Niners. They should have shunted him aside to the Sacto soccer club and never even considered him discussing salary cuts with Kaep’s reps. Inserting him into the negotiations was a colossal blunder and it has spectacularly backfired in their faces.
            Now, I totally agree about Taylor Swift. I am mainly attracted to her.

            1. Hey loud mouth, you ready to make me eat my words? You vowed #7 would stay a Niner under Kelly. Trade is imminent. Now what? I’m ready to eat Sebnnoying!

              1. Oh, Prime, I really wanted Kaep to remain the starting QB for the Niners, but alas, it is not meant to be.
                Somehow, I did not factor in the possibility that Jed would send the leaker to negotiate a pay cut. Of course, this enraged Kaep’s reps and minutes after the meeting, he asked to be traded.
                I guess I could be faulted for underestimating the stupidity of Jed, so you are right, and I will have to eat my words.
                However, I disagree with you, and do not think Kaep sucks. In fact, I will throw your own words back into your face and remind you that you said Kaep took the league by storm. I think he will take the league by storm AGAIN. Just not with the Niners.
                Kaep, with that Bronco defense, will be Freddy Kreuger scary.

          2. You make a very strong argument about the Yorks, but you, Kawakami, or even Greg Cosell will never convince The Seb of anything. He won’t even listen to me for gosh sakes.

  87. The Sean smith contract is disappointing . Jenkins got 62 million I think. I thought smith’s would be around there. I would not be mad if Baalke choose not to blow 65mill on him. But at 4 years @ 10 million a year. The Niners would never feel that amount I’m their cap. They have no good players to extend in the next few years. Nothing to bring them up against the cap. With the cap increasing. By one-two years his contract would get swallowed up.

    This is Sean smith picking the better team with the better defense. For getting a 4th contract at the age of 32. In combo with Baalke trying to stay at his slotted amounts for players.

    Anyone have a list of free agents in 2017. We will have 100 million to spend next year.

  88. Kelechi Osemele, Sean Smith, Bruce Irvin are very good need fixes for the Raiders.

    If they land Eric Weddle their defense whould take a major leap forward.

    1. We’ll see how they play with the Raiders. Last season, among the 86 Pro Bowlers, only 2 were acquired free agents. With these picks, McKenzie is acknowledging that his drafts (except the last one) were poor.

      1. I disagree Mood. First off the Raiders had to spend at least 41 million to reach the cap spending floor so this was going to happen no matter what. The only question was if they could get the top FA’s or would have to settle for overpaying lower ones. They have added 3 FA’s who are going to start and immediately upgrade the talent level. They likely aren’t done yet either.

        McKenzie has had a plan in place since he took over which entailed taking massive cap hits to get rid of bad contracts. Along with that, he has only had 4 draft classes, the first of which didn’t feature a pick until a compensation pick at the end of the 3rd round. If you look at his 3 classes since then, he has actually put together a pretty good nucleus of players while freeing up the cap room to add the talent he has the past two days. Whether Osemele, Irvin and Smith are Probowlers is irrelevant as long as they fit in and help the Raiders reach the next level. I think McKenzie has done a phenomenal job personally.

        1. Did Raiders have to spend the $41M this year or could it have been rolled over? I agree that getting solid starters and role players are important, but it does reveal draft deficiencies if the GM has had 4 drafts to build the team.

          While his first draft class lacked a first and second round pick, not even one of the remaining picks are in the team right now.
          Of his 10 picks in his second draft, half are no longer in the team (including the third round pick). Round 1 pick (top-15) has trouble staying on the field.
          His third draft was very successful because of Khalil Mack (#5 pick) and Carr.
          Fourth draft had a #4 pick in Cooper.

          While he shed some costly contracts, he also could not lock up young talent such as Jared Valdheer.

          I don’t see a phenomenal GM in McKenzie. I see an average GM over 4 years, two out whose 3 best picks were in the top half of first round. His first choice of coach was a disaster. Maybe he turn out to be a spectacularly successful GM, but his record points that he will be an average to top-20 GM at best.

          1. If Rocket is correct about the cap floor, that $41M would have gone directly to the NFLPA had it not been spent.

        2. They had to spend it before the end of this league year:

          “As you know we are heading into the last year of the rolling 4-year traunch that requires every team to spend at least 89% of the salary cap in cash,” Smith said at Thursday’s Super Bowl 50 press conference. “As we head into next year there are only two teams that are now below the 89% mandatory cash spent and that is the Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Our rough estimate is that Oakland is approximately $41 million under and Jacksonville is approximately $28 million under. We will be looking at where these teams fit or fall at the end of next year to make sure that they comply with the rigors of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

          It all stems from the fact McKenzie dumped so many contracts and signed so few FA’s that it added up to a lot of unused cap space. He had a plan and he stuck to it.

          We can argue over his draft record, but statistically he is among the most successful GM’s in the draft over that span and not having any players left from his first draft is understandable considering his first pick was really a 4th rounder. He did pick a bad HC, no doubt about that, but personnel wise he is building the Raiders into a contender and has done so with major cap issues that restricted what he could do including signing some of his own players. Funny you mention Veldheer though considering the player he signed to replace him (Penn) has played better than Veldheer has the past two years. He also let Lamar Houston go instead of overpaying and that has been a very wise decision.

          McKenzie learned under Ron Wolf and he’s starting to put together a system and team much like Wolf had in GB. I understand being 49er fans, not wanting to hear it, but the Raiders are a team on the rise and could contend for their division as early as this year.

          1. Rocket,

            Are you implying that Del Rio is a really good HC? He seems pretty average, to me. A poor man’s Jeff Fisher, perhaps.

            Another thing people seem to be ignoring is the Raiders were 7-9 last year.

            BTW, I don’t really care if Mackenzie is successful with the Raiders, or not.

  89. Oh, yeah, and there’s this too, like I said:

    “This can’t be stressed enough. Walking away from QB deal with no cap ramifications is extremely valuable factor here.”

    Charles Robinson, on Twitter

  90. To put some perspective on the clown Kawakami’s tweets on free agency winners, here are some numbers from NFL.com

    Top 6 teams in UFA spending in the last ten years:

    Teams Millions of $$ Spent Win pct.

    Fins 629 0.419
    Jags 614 0.363
    Eagles 607 0.547
    Skins 534 0.394
    Bucs 511 0.363
    Browns 500 0.319

    Just one team over 0.500

    1. The key to this list is they have spent heavily every year. That means they are either picking the wrong players or didn’t have the nucleus built through the draft to augment the signings. The common denominator I see immediately with every team in the list is a lack of talent at the QB position. They all drafted QB’s, some multiple QB’s, but have whiffed until the past couple of years. Bortles in Jax and Winston in TB will change the fortunes of their organizations if they continue to improve. The Skins finally broke through a bit thanks to Cousins turning the corner last year. Tannehill is inconsistent which is why the Dolphins continue to underachieve even with a ton of talent on the roster. Eagles and Browns have failed in finding a QB to this point although the Eagles may get the best out of Bradford if he can remain healthy.

      Bottom line is you have to build a foundation through the draft and/or sign young talent in FA.

      1. That’s right, excessive activity and irrational enthusiasm for spending in FA is generally a sign of poor draft history combined with signing of misfit FAs in earlier off-seasons.
        Correct me if I am wrong, I can’t think of even one off-season in which the perennially good teams (Pats, Steelers, Packers) spent gobs of money on FA’s.

        It can be a problem when you have half a dozen hungry, young promising CBs competing for a starting job, one of who has been rewarded earlier at $4M/year, and then you go and get a solid vet CB for $10M per season and $20M guaranteed and hand him the starting job. If that FA’s performance is eclipsed by one of the young cheap CBs, it damages the credibility of the team-building model that Baakle may want to develop.

        1. Belichick has brought in lots of FA’s over the years. They aren’t always top tier guys but he turns his roster over a lot. Last big name guy I remember was Revis and before him Talib. Pittsburgh traditionally doesn’t bring in many FA’s, but they are the exception not the norm. Most teams will bring in FA’s to augment what they have and most have a good young nucleus of players or at least a very good QB. The teams that fail tend to rely too much on FA and sign big money FA’s pas their prime. That is why this FA class was so attractive. It featured a number of young players that just completed their rookie deals and were just entering their prime.

          There’s no fool proof way to build a SB contender, but in order to become one you have to build with young talent both in the draft and FA.

      2. Good insight Rocket.

        I think if/when kap is traded Goff or Wentz is the guy, preferably Goff. Once we have the franchise QB in place all other things will follow, hopefully. I’m fine with Gabbert being the stopgap as Goff is groomed.

        That being said, anyone see any other trades happening? That seems to be a trend with Baalke (Boldin, Gabbert, Hodges). He could be eyeing a CB or OG since he lost out on Smith.

        1. Thanks Leo.

          They pretty much have to draft a QB in the first two rounds if they trade Kap. My preference is Goff too, but I have a feeling Baalke won’t take a QB in round one. He will likely go defense as it’s in his comfort zone.

        2. “Once we have the franchise QB in place all other things will follow … .” … Leo

          That’s a gigantic “once” you’ve got there. And except for the implied IF, I agree that a franchise QB with both a dominant OL and dominant defense will bring good things to any franchise.

          As for Goff and Wentz, who knows? As for Baalke picking one of them if he had the chance, who knows?

          As for Baalke building a dominant OL, who knows?

          As for Baalke building a dominant defense, a lot of folks think they know. I don’t know.

    2. Good post. The spending was kooky in a thin FA market yesterday. Guy we barely heard of getting JJ Watt pay.

  91. Crazy though for the day, too much coffee probably…

    BUT, what about this scenario…

    Assumptions:

    1. You think Goff is or will develop into a quality starter or even stud within 2 years.
    2.You agree CK needs a fresh start
    3. You are sympathetic to troubled athletes and is a said athlete is suspended you don’t have to pay salary.

    Scenario Trade to Browns:
    1. Send CK
    2. Swap first rounders this year – you hedge and select Goff at 2. Browns can still get a QB but can select another position of need and grab so over rated QB like Hack or Hogan down the road.
    3. Browns send Johnny football to Niners – Gives chip a toy to play with or cut if he becomes a problem. Thus, no need to draft Dak or V. Adams late.
    4. Browns give up a 4 or 5th rounder this year and a conditional pick in 2017 based on CK’s performance.
    5. Use extra pick from #4-5 above on a reach if needed b/c it is house money.

    1. Assumption- Kaep will be willing to play for Cleveland. If he says he will not play for them, they will not waste picks and trades for an unwilling player. If Kaep says he wants to go to the Broncos only, he just shut out every other team. This is not the draft. Kaep, as a vested veteran will let his feelings be known.

        1. He will take less to go to the team of his choice. He is not a slave, and has to work for free. This is America, and people have free will with the freedom to choose.

          1. he signed a contract.no one is asking him to play for free just live up to the contract

    2. Also, I do not think the Niners want another drunk on the team after the Aldone Fiasco.

  92. Free agents have to meet these qualities.

    1. Got to find players willing to buy into Kelly’s system. This is a must!!
    2. Got to have players that fit what Kelly wants to do.
    3. Then you have to find players that accepts the front office.

    1. 3. Free Agents take one look at the Front Orifice and run like hell in the other direction.

  93. A question for those of you defending the strategy of not spending big early in FA the past two days:

    What do you think Baalke is saving it for and how exactly would it hurt the future of the team to sign a couple of high priced FA’s like Irvin and Smith?

    1. Rocket,
      I believe that if you over spend for 1 or 2 FA’s you may have 8 to 10 players holding out asking to have their contracts renegotiated. The great organizations draft well and keep their veterans happy. I understand your argument that this is not a good roster and they need a quick infusion of talent and a quality draft to turn things around but that type of philosophy is good for a quick fix but I don’t want to win for the next 2 yrs and then be right back here. I want consistency. As to what do I think Baalke is saving for, I hope he will sign 5 or 6 solid players at a good price and then draft well. I read an article about NE around 7 or 8 yrs ago and the article said the Pats would rather sign two “B” FA’s for 5 million each than one “A” FA for 10 million.

      1. OldCoach,

        I would agree if the players signed were over 30 and/or past their prime, but this FA class featured young players going into their second contracts. That is not a quick fix mentality; it’s a build a core foundation of talent philosophy. I wouldn’t be as concerned about this if Baalke actually had FA’s of his own to spend the money on, but he doesn’t. The class this money should be going to doesn’t exist. That is why I don’t understand the attitude of being cautious and looking for bargains. In many years that is the case, but in this year the Niners needed to sign some players to build around and help them improve enough to become a place that was attractive to come to. Instead the best FA’s are gone and they are now fighting for scraps with a ton of other teams who also have cap space left over.

        We can still come out of this better than last year depending on who they add, but most of what is left is depth, players returning from injury or guys past their prime so it’s going to be even more crucial for Baalke to hit a home run in the draft and as we know, he hasn’t actually been overly successful in that area the past few years. We are really reaching and hoping at this point.

        1. Rocket, Hopefully Baalke won’t sign players who are bargains but players who are quality bargains. He was unsuccessful last year I’m hoping he won’t be this year. Regardless of what shape the roster is in or how much room they have on the salary cap, I still believe in the NE philosophy of signing 2 “B”‘s over one “A”.

          1. I like the philosophy too OC, but it’s much easier to implement when you have a Franchise QB. There’s still a lot of time left to make this roster better so we’ll see what happens.

      2. Baalke seems to let a lot of his veteran guys go. He talks a good game about keeping them, but if there is any market for them at all, he lets them go.

  94. It appears Baalke has faith in the young CB’s and the young OL he has acquired and thinks they will play well this season, which means there is no reason to sign A list free agents at those positions. If Kap is traded Baalke is going all in on his judgment of talent and building the team his way. It is a big gamble and if the Niners do not improve significantly this season Baalke is probably out of a job.

    1. Why do we have to wait a whole year? Jed should just fire him now and save us the misery.

  95. The 49ers find themselves in salary cap hell once again. The difference this time is they have money to spend and nobody wants to take it.

  96. I believe the 49ers are actually trying to assess what they have on their team right now, which explains why they’re not going hard into FA in 2016. I reviewed their roster again last night and it is really difficult to gauge the talent level, but the youth is unmistakable.

    Because they are young, yet unproven, I believe Trent and Chip want to spend a year evaluating their talent so that they know best where to spend money; to throw $60M at positions where they might have a guys who could break out in 2016 (Eli Harold, DeAndre Smelter, Marcus Cromartie, Gerald Hodges, for example) would only cause them to feel the need to play the guys who got paid, leading to atrophe among the developing guys.

    They are fairly well set in the secondary for the next few years, with Reid, Tartt, Ward, and McCray at safety, and Johnson, Reaser, Acker, Cromartie, and Brock at corner. I still expect them to draft more corners, and maybe fairly high, but this is a good, young core.

    Their D-Line is stocked with Dial, Armstead, and Williams, plus other young guys like Garrison Smith and Mike Purcell. Malik Jackson at $18M a year was a 4th Rd Pick once upon a time, so why not the 49ers players?

    Aaron Lynch leads the OLB group, and there may be development there as well, with Harold, Carradine, and/or a late-blooming Lemonier.

    Similarly, the OL is young across the board, bookended by veterans in Staley and Davis, with another vet calling signals in Kilgore. Everyone else on the line is under 25, except Tiller, who is 26. (Not counting Pears)

    The WRs are all under 26, except for Smith; same with the TEs. The backfield is also 26 or under, with a QB who showed great leadership and maturity last year, even with a nonexistent OL and an incompetent coaching staff.

    Point is this: until Baalke knows what he has, he is not about to spend money on FA to complement his roster. What he is showing he will do is keep Williams here, because he has been a key guy, is still young, and seems to be a foundational player, and give young guys like RayRay (25) the chance to compete to earn a foundational spot.

    Baalke was livid that Harbaugh played his draft picks so sparingly, preferring veterans. I’m not sayin Baalke has drafted well, or that he deserves to keep his job, but I do think that this reserved approach in 2016 will allow the team to act from a much more informed standing in 2017 FA.

    1. Sil, good points, but I wish to conjecture that the successful playoff teams may have youth, but they are also filled with grizzled, battle tested veterans. Youthful teams do not have the experience needed to out compete the competition, so the best teams do have youth, but also savvy veterans that know what it takes to win, and how to win.
      Since all the prime FAs are gone, maybe Baalke should look hard at the 30 year old veterans who still may play at a high level and who will teach the youngsters the ropes.

    2. Good comment, even though I know you’re going to get pounced on in a few mins for saying it.

      I think you have a very valid argument here. It’s an interesting situation though, you have ownership and fan base that wants to win now by any means (presumably), but you have a GM that is implementing a 2-3 year plan to rebuild. It’s bold on Baalke’s part, but very risky.

    3. Silicon Chip

      Excellent post, and by the way…don’t forget Acker. Everyone seems hell bent to use our draft capitol like a drunken sailor, as though all of the moves are going to get us to SB 51. If we show patience, we can improve on last years record with Gabbert at QB, get our ’53’ as well as our Practice squad settled in, allow our rookie QB’s a chance to adjust to the speed of the NFL, and be prepared for ’17 “lean and Mean” and begin to replace by attrition rather than explosion….

      1. Another year of assessment? Playmakers make plays. Where are the playmakers?

        1. DL, yes.
        2. Rush LB… no, Lynch ok he should continue to develop. The others I have seen them eaten up 1-1 most last year.
        3. CB, yes. Some interesting talent. Kids stepped up last year. Would Smith help sure but I’m a pressure QB approach guy.
        4. S, yes we are deep enough there.
        5. ILB, no… but we know what we have. The position is serviceable. I was hopeful for over paying Trevathon.

        6. OL, no… not even sure where to start. This is the biggest issue on the team. o we keep hopeful that the drafy picks turn it around? More assessment to let them gel… god, our line is aweful

        7. TE, yes… we have young promising dudes, I guess they can develop more.
        8. WR, no… I guess if we have a QB get the mthe ball. It is hard to see without coaches tape what is going on out there. But I think our WRs are average at best.
        9. RB, no… will Carlos be hurt again? Why were we interested in Martin or CJ. B/c our RB position is questionable. Davis and the Rugby guy?? Droughn… I suspect we will raft another RB high this year.
        10. QB,… not sure about Gabbert. Check down, game mgr. If we don’t put up points and keep rives alive our D will be exposed. We need no further assessment of QB. Draft the future and let him sit if neede.

        I’m not saying spend money of free agents, I’m just saying further assessment is not really needed. Our team lacks talent.

    4. All true, but what is the most common result of spending a year evaluating young potential on a roster that also has no established QB in the NFL?

      Does Baalke have Jed’s support for a low win evaluation season at this point. Would any coach who wasn’t sure of his owner’s support go along with that plan? Was Jim Harbaugh much different in his approach to experience over youth than other successful NFL coaches? How many of those guys follow their GM’s long term game plan?

      1. Did Tomsula resist playing Baalke’s OL young guys? Who’s idea was to move a veteran RG to LG instead of playing him at RT?

        I don’t have any disagreement with your analysis, but I do have some doubts about it’s outcome given who is orchestrating it’s implementation.

      2. I agree with your point about the big (huge?) problem of having no established quarterback, and I’m not optimistic that the three stooges (Jed, Paarag and Trent) can do anything other than more damage. But, as a long time fan, I have tried to just hope the 9ers will somehow just luck out kinda like they did when Harbaugh first arrived. So, as to the “no established QB issue”, (I know this is very foolish, but…), I am hoping that Kelly will do what Harbaugh did with Alex Smith and turn Gabbert into an established QB. Please don’t laugh at me.

    5. good points as most folks have agreed. this is probably the final year for Baalke to show what he can do in terms of free agency and drafting. Baalke hasn’t been doing well with his draft picks the last few years, and last year’s FA handling didn’t do him any favor either. at the end of the day, if the record is another 5-11 season, or worst… i think Baalke would deserve to be fired. personally, I’d fire him if the record for this coming season is not 9-7 or better. having a 2-3 year building plan is nice, but you still need to show progress every year; sitting behind a 8-8 or worst record would confirm his plan failed, and someone needs to be “accountable” for it. Jed needs to ask, “what have you done for me lately?” and we know Baalke hasn’t do much good the past few years; time to put on the squeeze.

  97. Pork,

    I appreciate the time you put into that, but quite frankly it’s nonsense. Not that you wrote it but that any of it could be true. You assess what you have before FA, and you should have a clear understanding of where you need to find replacements and where you feel you are strong. Every team in this league has young players who could break out. It should never stop you from signing or drafting a player you think can make you better. You get the players and if you have too many good ones in a specific area you deal with it later. It’s a great problem to have but rarely happens. If Baalke isn’t sure what he has it’s likely because nobody has stood out to the extent you know they are a building block for the future. There are some good players on this team, but no one who should keep us from signing or drafting a top player at any position other than maybe S.

    I’m also tired of reading that Harbaugh somehow didn’t play young players and played vets to the detriment of young players. That simply is not true. He played the players that could get them to a SB and that included young players like: Culliver, Hunter, Reid, LMJ, McDonald, Celek, Williams, Dial,Miller, Hyde, TJE and that is just off the top of my head. This continuing disparaging of Harbaugh (not just by you either) is ridiculous. He was the best HC this team has had since winning their last SB, and had one of the best winning percentages in the history of the game.

    1. Rocket

      I’m actually not disparaging Harbaugh here. It’s widely known (speculated) that Baalke was furious because of Harbaugh’s play of veterans. Don’t believe me? Just do a little digging. So whatever you or I think is irrelevant; Baalke thought it, and it contributed not only to their bad relationship, but also, in Baalke’s narcissistic existence, to his drafts being less objectively successful than he subjectively believed them to be.

      Anyway, Harbaugh is gone, and this is the roster. And while what you say about assessing the roster by FA is the norm, the fact that Jim Tomsula was the coach last year, has made it impossible to know which players are worth keeping, period. Best example: or WR group seems WAY underutilized, unknown, yet really talented, and very athletic.

      No discerning 49ers fan, let alone executive, should believe that this is a 5-11 roster, not after seeing it reach 5-11 under Tomsula, and yet none of us really knows why, or how, the 49ers weren’t at the very bottom of the league despite facing the NFL’s hardest schedule.

      This is now Chip Kelly’s team. Chip himself has said he needs to see guys out on the field, so we should have known this was coming. I’m okay with it. There’s no way this team won’t improve under him, and I would say that with an aggressive, knowledgeable mentality coming from both sides of the football in 2016, we’ll know by season’s end who the playmakers are. Prime example: the WR group; these guys fit Kelly very well: lots of size and speed, a lot of which has yet to get any time at all in a real game.

      Here’s a preview:

      Gabbert might go all Foles on us under Kelly, but even better

      Hyde, rookie

      Ellington, DAT, Smelter, White, Dres, Smith, Busta, Bell

      Tiller, Brown, Davis, Thomas, rookie

      Dial, Armstead, Williams, rookie

      Lynch, Harold, Bow, Hodges, Carradine, rookie

      Tartt, Ward, Johnson, Cromartie, rookie

      Those are the good names, the ones that either shined last season already or seem much more likely to shine under competent coordinators.

  98. I don’t know if Baalke felt that way or not Pork, but if he did he’s delusional because Harbaugh did play a lot of young players and the ones he didn’t were stuck behind better players for the most part.

    I don’t think this was a 5-11 team; I think it was a 3-13 team. They won a couple of games based on their opponent missing a chip shot FG or a poor Coaching decision. They were impressive in one win the entire season and that was the very first game of the season against the Vikings. Other than that it was a steady stream of poor play and Coaching.

    I agree that there is more assessment that needs to take place under Kelly, but you and I are not NFL personnel men and yet we can see this team needed to sign an OL or two. That’s not something that needs further assessment after what we saw last year is it? If Tramaine Brock is our best CB – debatable but he plays the left side so they see him as that guy on their team – do we really need to assess whether an upgrade is needed? We need to see the young guys play obviously, but you also have to add talent where you know you are lacking it.

    1. I agree with you Rocket. This isn’t about personnel. This is about the 49ers having to rebuild everything from zero.
      The lack of signing free agents just reiterates players around the league will not sign with an organization that is an unknown. From the owner to the GM to a coach who has built up a questionable reputation.
      To get back to respectability they need a home run draft from rounds 1-7. They then need to win games. It’s a simple as that because of the debacle that happened with Harbaugh, CK, York on down.

      1. I agree Prime. If FA’s are viewing SF as a place to avoid the only thing that is going to change it is winning. The Raiders are the perfect example.

        1. For sure. But to the Niners credit, this was one of the worst free agent classes.
          Even getting Sean Smith really does not help address the key issues on defense. And he’s 28.
          Better to build through the draft and see what Baalke is really made of. As well as let Chip draft kids he wants on offense.
          It was and is always going to be a rebuild for the next 2 years. I’m not expecting anything over 6 wins next year.

      1. Silicon has gone by a few names here and one of them was Pork Bun Lunch.

        1. Pork Bun Luncheon
          Mr. Everything
          E
          Silicon Chip
          Neanderthal Offense

          (and he who shan’t be revealed)

              1. Grant

                You blocked me on Twitter.

                Do you remember all the other names on here? There were a few others, but I’ve gone all senile.

    2. Rocket

      Right, you just said what I’ve been saying. They don’t know where they’re lacking talent. They haven’t identified their nucleus, just Bowman. I don’t even think they’re sold on Reid, honestly.

      They want to build a nucleus of guys, believe they already have most of them on the roster (they just ALL happen to be on defense) and are hoping to find a couple more pieces in the draft.

      Then they’ll know what they have, what they don’t, and how to augment it through FA.

      Candidates:
      Bowman, Armstead, Dial, Reid, and maybe Staley

      They need their superstar-caliber players to act like they’re superstars.

      Willis, JSmith, Gore, Staley – that was the old nucleus

  99. let it begin…..

    Boone said it’s fair to call him “nasty” as long as he’s not called “dirty,” and he’s glad that another term can’t be applied to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Boone said Teddy is not a “prima donna.”

    Some will wonder whether that’s a reference to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and maybe it was.

  100. Saying we need to sign an OL sounds good but the truth is, bringing in a veteran would not be a great move in terms of the future

    Staley and Kilgore are proven….

    Tiller and Brown showed potential, no need to stop their growth…..

    and drafting a Rookie to play guard makes more sense insteading of spending crazy money on a vet…..

    1. Weren’t you ready to jump off a bridge yesterday over the Niners lack of activity?

      1. There has been worse in ninerland……I can never quit on the red and gold…..I bleed it…..

        it’s normal to overreact with the lack of FA’s signing especially in positions its obvious we need to upgrade……but the true fan in me understands, they could care less what I think……..

        I spent the last 24 hours going thru the roster over and over again, and have convinced myself it’s better to have the potential on the roster to be a good team instead of mortgaging the future on a FA process history has proven does not yield great rewards…..

    2. Good points. I would add it’s also possible that the new oline coach, Flaherty, looked at tape and expressed confidence he could turn one or more of the others they have into serviceable ZBS starters. They do need a swing tackle, though.

      1. That’s a big wildcard. The new coaching staff might feel one of Marcus Martin and/or Brandon Thomas’s flaws are fixable.

        A few weeks ago someone asked Flaherty what he thinks the new offense will be like. He grinned, and said something to the affect of “really ****in fast.”

        1. There’s got to be a reason they haven’t been active with the FA olinemen. Their line was so poor last year, and they can’t bet on drafting one or more linemen to start. It would be mind-blowing if they fielded a bad line again next season. There are other FA olinemen available of course, but as you know Larsen is the only one who’s visited.

  101. ProFootballTalk ‏@ProFootballTalk 7m7 minutes ago
    Packers re-sign Nick Perry
    ————-
    Grrr

      1. even without Mo. I still think chicago will be a tough team to play next year.

        Offensive should not be too much different (I’m guessing) going from Gase to Loggains (QB coach)

        fangio/fox cleaned house last year of bad apples and have been picking up solid players. second year in system

  102. Broncos snatch up Mark Sanchez !!

    Dang !! … Baalkee swung and missed
    another one !!

    /s

    1. George ..

      “Broadcast Ended” .. is what I’m getting ..

      How ’bout a synopsis ?

        1. Now it sez .. “Broadcast Not Found” ..

          (after clicking the play button)

          izzit just me ?

  103. Look I’m not at all worried about our standing down in the free agency period. We should only go after free agents when we are contenders, or a certain special free agent will make us a contender. The reason why is you still need draft picks to pan out to take you to the Super Bowl. If you put all your money in before drafting the right players, you just have a handful of veterans with little upside. Teams that buy big almost always lose. This year, the NY Giants.

  104. I am very disappointed that no one is mentioning that Kaepernick wouldn’t pass a physical today. Am I wrong that he can’t be traded injured?
    How could the team go and sign a FA Qb To replace Kaepernick without the certainty that he would be off the books with a passed physical. If Kaepernick is traded it will be much closer to the draft imp.

  105. Boldin speaking in front of a 49ers-friendly audience. He was asked if he would like to stay with the 9ers:

    “That would be my hope. I love it here, I love the fans here, I love the organization, teammates. And when I say organization, it’s not just the football part. Like there’s a lot of people inside the organization that the outside people never know about, that help us out so much. So those are the relationships I’ve built here in San Francisco, that I don’t want to leave. So I would love to stay here.”

    Should the team keep him if he comes at a reasonable salary (maybe $4 million). Or will he get in the way of developing younger talent? Or as Fucillo points out, did he just say this because the audience is “49ers-friendly”.

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2016/3/11/11207820/anquan-boldin-would-love-to-stay-with-49ers

    1. Yes, they should. The plan should be for Smelter to take over from him, but he’s essentially a rookie this coming season. Let him learn from Boldin another year, getting some playing time as the 3rd or 4th WR, then take over the role in 2017.

      1. And if Smelter is too good to leave off the field, they can trade Boldin to a playoff contender mid-season.

        1. Scooter and Seb

          Be carefull of how loosely you spend Dr York’s dinero good stuff

          1. Ore, I want them to spend money so they can try to win, instead of saving money and be content with losing.

  106. Question ladies and gentlemen… With all this money not being spent, it got me to thinking. What if Trent is not allowed to spend big or senseless this year? If his belief that it’s been the coaching the past two years, and Jed is trusting Trent’s word. What if Jed told him he has the money to resign his players, but not to spend in Free agency? Because if this team doesn’t show improvement with good coaching, him and his hand picked coach will be fired, and the money will be in place next year for the new regime, to start to build their team. Trent might be stuck with his building project. But just food for thought.

  107. In Jed’s speech where he fired Tomsula, he said it will be a very important offseason. He said that the team hasn’t been that active in FA in the past. Need to figure out the right talent outside of the bldg. and inside the bldg.

    Implication to me is that he was expecting a bigger more active push to acquire FAs than in the past. So, I don’t think he told Baalke to not spend money. See the 10 min 30 second mark in the link below.

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jed+york&&view=detail&mid=B5E4AFE4092BAF475924B5E4AFE4092BAF475924&FORM=VRDGAR

    1. Cubus, thanks buddy. Interesting points. Jed must be really pissed at the moment, since we haven’t spent anything at all…

      1. Yep. Baalke will give him a story, but I think Jed has learned that he overtrusted Baalke in the past. So I think Baalke is on a short leash. If the team isn’t successful this coming season, I expect Baalke will be gone, but not Chipster.

      2. i could be wrong but that does not make sense at all.

        It’s a multimillion dollar company, for something as big as how one is going to spend the 60 million dollars they have in the offseason. There is no way that Jed and Baalke have not extensively talked about this. They are fully on the same page is my bet.

        Now, picking between jahri evans vs JR sweezy I would guess that Jed would not be involved.

        Jed is not “pissed” at Baalke. They are intricately intertwined. Even when Jed fires Baalke on day, it wont be because of them not being on same page philosophically. It will just be to fulfill a function (i.e. to look like he is doing something about the team being crappy for 10 years).

        1. Who knows for sure. I don’t think Jed is pissed at Baalke at this point, but imo he is letting Baalke succeed or dig his own grave. I don’t think that Jed is that extensively involved with regards to who is picked up in FA. By not being so involved, he can easily blame Baalke for the future failure of the team and jettison him. That’s a strategy I’ve seen used in corporations (especially software companies) I’ve been involved with.

          1. absolutely- i agree with you.

            Jed will have “fall guys” for the next 45 years of running the team.

            Be involved enough to hand cuff the GM but distant enough to use GM as fall guy.

            But sad thing is he doesnt even need a fall guy. No way for him to get fired unless family rift.

  108. The definition of insanity:
    “is doing something over and over again and expecting different results”

    The definition of insanity in 49ers:
    “Keep dissing your coaches, and star players and refuse to spend money on FA and yet keep talking about winning Superbowls”

    The definition of insanity in 49er fans:
    “Keep expecting the Yorks to spend money to win Super Bowls”

  109. In this market with Osweiler getting $18M a year it might be tough to convince Kaepernick to take a pay cut.

    1. At this f—ing point it’s not about overpaying–there’s really not much to pay for. Osemele could have been had but the 49ers left money on the table, the Raiders, looking out for their fans trying to put a competitive team on the field showed who cares more.

  110. Bill Walsh got a vetran in Steve Young for a 4th round pick.
    Trent, if all you are being offered by Denver is a 3rd rounder better take it you cheapskate.

    1. Walsh got Steve Young for 2nd and 4th round picks.

      Walsh’s eye for quarterback talent was held in high regard. Within 24 hours of the trade teams were offering the 49ers two first round picks for Steve Young.

      1. B2W,
        Walsh pushed for Jake Plummer but went to the Cards in the 2nd rd.
        I wonder how Plummer would have done as a 49ers QB. Plummer had an up and down career finishing his career with 161 TD’s and 161 Int’s.

        Walsh struck out on Giovanni Carmazzi. That draft year was best known for all NFL teams passing on Tom Brady until the Pats grabbed him in the 6th rd.
        I guess you can’t win them all.

  111. No wonder the 49ers feel functional amidst the Browns dynsfunctioal front office, the 49ers believe in the Moneyball philosophy too.

    Browns will trade a third-round pick if Kaepernick will take a pay cut

    Corny Moneyball references: It was a rough week for the Browns, who lost four of their best starters from 2015 and had to admit their biggest mistake of the last five years. But can we hold a moratorium on outdated and irrelevant Moneyball references when talking about this front office and its plan?

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/03/12/browns-will-trade-a-third-round-pick-if-kaepernick-will-take-a-pay-cut/

    1. Does Browns front office mantra to its fans sound familiar…Cheering Moneyball on one hand, a prizing fiscal prudence with the other?..Yeah, you’re a few years behind our front office with that one, but it shows the Browns and 49ers share similar talking points to their fans.

  112. #7 must be feeling like a loser right now…….the freaking browns don’t even value him, how will any team in the league think he his valuable…..

    “Browns’ front office apparently think Kaepernick is only worth $7 million or $8 million a year, and that’s what they’d want Kaepernick to take,”….ha ha ha…….

    bet he his already begging the 49ers to forget he asked about a trade……

  113. lmao…….this moron #7 should never be allowed to wear a 49er jersey ever again……..he reportedly wants to play for the Browns………

    who in their right mind thinks the Browns are better than the 49ers….

  114. Is Front office planting more?

    Tim Kawakami Verified account 
    ‏@timkawakami
    Jed York and Trent Baalke can declare whatever they want, but I doubt they want to guarantee Kaepernick that $11.9M base on April 1…

    augustus ‏@augustusporter · 1h1 hour ago

    @timkawakami 2. Do you think the national media knows this stuff is bs, but don’t want to ruin their sources for things that are real?

    ustus ‏@augustusporter · 1h1 hour ago

    @timkawakami 1. Do you think Kaepernick’s internet in CLE is real, or from management?

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    Robert C ‏@darobster17 · 50m50 minutes ago

    @timkawakami what difference will it make when they can’t land a big name free agents that addresses the teams biggest needs?

  115. I wonder if the 49ers will have any interest in Brandon Bair. For what it’s worth his overall grade on PFF is 73.9 and that’s right above Dial’s 73.3. He’s a big guy. Sign him and let him compete with Dial and if they’re about the same then keep the cheaper one.

    1. C4C

      Man ! you were right on top of that one…BB was going to get cut…He was an ex-Duck, and so had ties to ‘Chip’….Howie Roseman won’t be happy until he completes his destruction of any one or anything ‘Chip’ Kelly left in Philly….Brandon Bair is big…strong… uninjured…and a heck of a player….

    2. C4c, honestly this is the first time I’ve heard about him. Never seen him play. However, I see he’s been used as a DE, bounced around, and never started. He’s 6’6 at 290. Big and strong, yes, but maybe too tall for the position at his weight for a DE in a 3-4? Coming out of college he was 276. Seems to me he’s a tweener in a 3-4. Maybe they should sign him, slim him down, and try him as an OLB in TC and pre-season. He might be too slow, though, and we know nothing about his coverage skills. What do you think?

      1. I think if he signs for cheap he’s camp fodder that could develop into good depth at end.

        1. C4C

          My thoughts exactly

          George

          I DO think that he might be a bit slow for OLB…but I don’t know…Chip knows…

  116. Matt Barrows read on what’s holding up moving Colin Kaepernick.

    http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article65679317.html

    I like the bit about the Browns dropping their starting center and guard along with a receiver shortly before asking Colin to take a 50% cut in pay. I also like Matt’s conjecture that Colin would take that cut with Denver.

    The Browns will wait for Colin, Colin will wait for Denver, and Denver will wait for April Fool’s Day. Who is the April Fool?

    What will the 49ers do? If Colin’s contract is continued by the 49ers, will Colin show up for “voluntary” sessions? What will Kelly do if Colin doesn’t “volunteer?”

      1. ;-}

        What bugs me is that no one asks me what I would do in Baalke’s place. It’s all about The Seb.

        1. HT …

          that’s because you don’t seem to have ..the
          “look at me-e-e” .. kinda
          personality !

            1. Do you realize how long I’ve been sitting by that fishing hole without a nibble. It’s a quiet life, but maybe I need a line, a hook and some bait.

              1. Prime Time we discovered a prime plant in our back yard being cultivated by our 16 year old son. Wiser friends dried it in the oven and I tried a bit of it. I don’t smoke so that might be why I wasn’t impressed. That was around thirty nine years ago. :-}

              2. Ugh. As a connoisseur of herbology, the oven method of drying is frowned upon. It probably gave them a headache.

        2. Sir, what would you do in Baalke’s place? Which players would you target as FAs? Would you use the cap space to extend and lock in contracts? Maybe treat Kaep well by redoing his contract?
          I sure would like to see your mock draft.

        3. Sir, I guess the most important question is- What name would you put in that envelope?

    1. The article doesn’t untie or shed any new light on the situation. It parrots the speculation on this blog with much less supporting details. It also doesn’t account for the fact that Kaepernick is currently rehabbing and would NOT pass a physical required for any trade to take place.

      However, it is slow in the FA movement so I do appreciate the article and more to read.

  117. The question about Kelly and his wanting the players to be -All in -on his system, is a two way street. Was he -All in – with Kaep regaining his starting job? Did he communicate effectively with Kaep? Why did he say that Kaep was eager to get going, then a few hours later finds out that Kaep asked to be traded? Did he have a clue? Can he read a players’ intentions correctly? Does he need to work on his people skills? Chip may have a tough row to hoe, especially with a dearth of FA acquisitions.

    1. Seb ..

      Before you go into your “dream sequence” again ..
      I think it was mentioned around here .. that
      the governing rules of the NFL state ..
      Chip Kelly isn’t allowed to have any
      communications with Colin Kaepernick… until ..
      April 1st …

      That being the case … I’d say ..
      Chip Kelly hasn’t … “communicated” … u-hhh anything
      to Colin Kaepernick …. YET

      Does that sound … logical ?

      1. MW, that is a cop out. Teams talk to players all the time. Chip just said that to deflect any questions about what he said to Kaep. Chip is not allowed to discuss football plays, football meetings, watch tape or discuss the playbook, but he could talk about any other thing. Maybe he should talk philosophy, fishing, families, the weather or any of a myriad of other subjects to get to know Kaep better.
        You know, work on his …….people skills.

            1. If they like him and it knocks him down a round, why not take him? He wouldn’t start anyway, and they could keep him on a short leash. If it happened again, bye bye.

  118. That furious clicking noise you all hear are the various draft sites updating their WR rankings with Michael Thomas shooting to the top.

    1. On Draftek, I noticed all the QBs are zooming up on the draft board. Cardale Jones moved up 94 points.

  119. Fuller is going to burn some team for using a high pick on him. Hope it isn’t us. He’s AJ Jenkins 2.0.

    1. He was on my 14 list, but I would exchange Fuller for Michael Thomas because of what you said. I also like Braxton Miller, but Treadwell’s refusal to run the 40 is a red flag to me.

  120. I get the Raiders made some flashy moves in free agency but I think people are getting a little silly in the hype for a 7-9 team that was 3-6 over their last 9 games. Maybe if that last number was reversed I’d see a team on the rise but at this point they’re the Miami Dolphins. Below average team hoping that a bunch of high ticket free agents will suddenly make them better then they are.

    1. CFC,

      I couldn’t agree more. The Raiders may prove to be somewhere on the arc of a successful team, but they have a long way to go to be a good team.

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