Niners up their offer, agree to give Alex Smith $16.5 million guaranteed

According to an AP source, The Niners will give Alex Smith $16.5 million guaranteed instead of the $10 million they originally offered him.

So, Alex Smith and his agent (who still appears to be Tom Condon, unless I’m mistaken) made the right move dragging these negotiations on and on. They didn’t get Ryan-Fitzpatrick money (five years, ~$50 million), but they surpassed Matt-Flynn bucks (three years, $26 million, $10 million guaranteed.) Good for them.

Is this a win for the Niners? Senior Zohn thinks so. I’m not so sure. It seems like the Niners went against their whole front office philosophy by overpaying. No other team would offer Smith anywhere near that deal.

As you know, I believe the Niners would have gotten more bang for their buck had they signed Mike Wallace instead of Smith. But, the Niners paid a premium to bring their veteran quarterback back, and I understand that logic.

Trent Baalke needs to knock the draft out of the park, because his free agency has been modest at best. Besides the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, the starting lineup is practically identical to last season.

The Niners can’t stand pat while the other contenders improve.

Areas the Niners still need to improve: Quarterback, wide receiver, right guard, punt returner.

Comments are closed.