Free agency

Quarterback David Carr does not have cold feet. In fact, where he’s at right now, the weather is in the mid-70s.

Veteran tight end Anthony Becht, who visited the Raiders and 49ers on Monday and Tuesday, has agreed to re-sign with the Cardinals.

Free-agent tight end Anthony Becht, a 10-year veteran a blocking specialist who caught seven passes for the Cardinals last season, is visiting the 49ers this afternoon, a league source said.

There have been some names thrown out there of players – such as Jared Gaither and Leon Washington – that the 49ers might be pursuing in free agency. But if the player is a restricted free agent, it just doesn’t make sense for the 49ers to go strong after a player.

It’s “business as usual” for 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill, who plans to return to the Bay Area on Sunday to take part in the opening of the team’s offseason conditioning program, said Bob Lattinville, his agent.

Free-agent wide receiver Arnaz Battle has agreed to a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a league source said.

No player on the 49ers’ roster was more responsible for the team’s second-half 2008 surge that resulted in the “interim” title removed from Mike Singletary’s job description.   Shaun Hill helped steady the 49ers after Singletary would not tolerate J.T. O’Sullivan’s stream of turnovers. Hill rode that momentum to the starting job at the beginning of last season.   But the 49ers always thought they could do better than Hill….

Free-agent quarterback David Carr had dinner last night with 49ers coach Mike Singletary and is spending time again this morning with coaches and club officials in Santa Clara, a league source. The 49ers have the first opportunity to sign Carr, but three other teams remain interested in his services, according to the source.

Free-agent wide receiver Arnaz Battle does not figure to be back with the 49ers next season, but he is getting some play on the free-agent market.

If things go as many envision, left guard David Baas is in for a tumultous offseason with no assurances he’ll be back in the 49ers’ starting lineup.

The David Carr-to-the-49ers sentiment is gaining a lot of momentum as free-agency hits the 12-hour mark.   A league source says, “It’s the 49ers’ to lose.”

The 49ers already have the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft. They are reportedly now looking at the No. 1 overall pick of the 2002 draft to also occupy a seat the team’s quarterback meeting room.

There are 531 professional football players looking for work this evening, as a new era in the NFL kicked off. It’s official. The 2010 season will not have a salary cap.

Teams that enter the unrestricted free-agent market at the opening bell know they’re going to have to overspend. That opening bell sounds at 9 p.m. (PT).   The 49ers have done so on several occasions, beginning in 2005, as they took dramatic measures to attempt to upgrade a roster left depleted by some poor drafts and a salary-cap purge.   I’m not editorializing that the 49ers overspent, they’ll freely admit…

Teams can retain the rights to players with fewer than three years of NFL experience (and whose contracts have expired) through the simple process of extending a qualifying offer to these exclusive-rights free agents.  

The 49ers tendered scheduled restricted free agents guard David Baas and outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, while deciding to allow cornerback Marcus Hudson to test the market as an unrestricted free agent.

In a move the 49ers have planned since November, the club today officially announced it has assigned the non-exclusive franchise tag to nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, who was scheduled for unrestricted free agency.   The 49ers have, in essence, taken Franklin off the free-agent market with a one-year, $7.003 million tender – or the average of the top-five salaries at the position.   “Aubrayo has proven to be a valuable contributor…

The 49ers seemingly did nothing in the 2009 offseason to improve their pass rush. At least, they did not add anyone through the draft or free agency to make much of an impact.   But the 49ers’ pass rush was, in fact, significantly improved. The 49ers did not change their personnel, but defensive coordinator Greg Manusky focused on the pass rush in the offseason program.   The 49ers recorded 44 sacks,…

Veteran cornerback Brian Kelly, whom the Lions cut in December, is scheduled to visit the 49ers and take a physical later today, a league source said. Dre’ Bly is also scheduled to arrive in Santa Clara today.

The 49ers are wasting no time in targeting a replacement for injured Walt Harris, as the club is scheduled to meet Thursday with veteran free-agent cornerback Dre’ Bly, a league source said.