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Colin Kaepernick

NFC Notes: 49ers, Boldin, Pettigrew, Bears

February 18th, 2014 at 7:52pm CST by Matt Feminis

Yesterday morning, there was news of the 49ers and free agent receiver Anquan Boldin working on a long-term deal, but tonight, Pro Football Talk says not so fast. A source tells PFT no negotiations have taken place, though both sides are expected to talk at the Combine. Additionally, Boldin is the team’s top priority by virtue of him being on the verge of hitting the open market, but quarterback Colin Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh could also receive extensions this year.

Other NFC notes:

  • Brandon Pettigrew is the only reasonable candidate for the Lions franchise tag, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, but he says the team is unlikely to use the tag, probably for reasons explained by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Both writers seem to agree that Pettigrew is not worth the money given his inconsistency, injuries and inability to stretch the field. Furthermore, the team is sitting with just about $3MM in cap space.
  • There’s a good chance Bears running back Michael Bush will be a cap casualty, according to Dan Pompei. Bush is signed for two more years with cap hits of $3.85MM in 2014 and $4.6MM in 2015, but has been very average as Matt Forte‘s backup.
  • Former Ravens safety Christian Thompson worked out for the Bears, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). A good-sized, athletic prospect who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, Thompson was released by the Ravens last season after he served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
  • The 49ers need a speedy receiver to compliment Michael Crabtree (and maybe Boldin) if they are to have more success against the big, physical Seahawks secondary, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

Corry On Pay Cut Candidates

February 14th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Matt Feminis

In our previous post, we highlighted young stars entering their prime years and poised to land lucrative second contracts. At the other end of the spectrum, Joel Corry of National Football Post spotlighted five veterans who could be asked to take a pay cut:

  • Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey – Will be 36 next season after playing just five regular season contests in 2013 (foot injury). Simply put, Bailey’s cost to the team is not commensurate with his diminished skills, as he’s scheduled to count $10.5MM against the cap next year.
  • Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware – Dallas’ cap woes were detailed last week. At the top of the “To Do” list is Ware, who carries a $16MM cap number as a result of three restructurings. Bothered by an elbow injury which necessitated off-season surgery, Ware managed just six sacks in 2013. Corry says Ware has indicated he’s willing to go down that road again, “but a pay cut is a different story.” If the Cowboys release Ware, the team stands to gain approximately $7.4MM of cap room.
  • 49ers running back Frank Gore – Not unlike catchers in baseball, running backs trend downward beyond age 30. Gore will be 31 in 2014 when he’s scheduled to count $6.45MM against the cap, though he’s considered an “old” 31 given his career workload and injury history. With a strong offensive line and dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick entering his prime, it’s reasonable to think Gore’s production could be had for cheaper, be it in the form of Gore himself at a reduced rate or perhaps 2013 “redshirt” Marcus Lattimore, who is waiting in the wings.
  • Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu – The soon-to-be 33-year-old has the NFL’s highest 2014 cap number among safeties (approximately $10.9MM), but Polamalu’s play has fallen off to the point where his reputation exceeds his performance. According to Corry, “A pay cut could be folded into an extension that lowers Polamalu’s cap number and ensures that he never plays with another NFL team.”
  • Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork – Corry describes the veteran Wilfork’s situation as “precarious” because the final year of his five-year deal weighs $11.6MM against the cap. That number ranks second-highest on the roster behind Tom Brady, and the team has just under $3.9MM of cap room at present time. Wilfork has been a rock, but the Pats cannot afford to devote nine percent of the cap to a 32-year-old run stuffer coming off a torn Achilles tendon injury, especially with the team attempting to re-sign Aqib Talib.

NFC West Notes: Williams, 49ers, Cardinals

February 13th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams introduced new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams at a press conference this morning, as Jonathan Webb of StLouisRams.com details. However, our afternoon NFC West roundup focuses on a pair of St. Louis’ division rivals. Here’s the latest:

  • As we heard last night, the 49ers and Anquan Boldin have mutual interest in working out a new deal, but that’s just one of the top items on the team’s offseason to-do list, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, San Francisco’s other top two priorities involving locking up head coach Jim Harbaugh and extending quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Niners’ offseason plans figure to come into better focus after next week’s scouting combine, a source tells Florio.
  • Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee provides an update on the 49ers‘ new stadium, which is approximately 80% complete and on track to be ready for use by August.
  • General manager Steve Keim and the Cardinals are in the process of putting together a top 100 board for free agents, similar to the kind of board teams compile for the draft, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Urban’s piece includes several interesting quotes from Keim on Arizona’s approach to roster building and the club’s long-term plan.
  • Keim on building the Cardinals‘ roster: “We have to constantly look at it with a three-year view. How certain things affect what we can do with Patrick [Peterson], how some of the other young players fit, and [that] we might have to make some tough decisions. Not this year, but we have talked about where we will have to make tough decisions after 2014 and 2015. If you look at the big picture and you look at it with a three-year view, you have a chance to sustain success instead of having so many peaks and valleys.”

49ers Links: Kaepernick, Free Agents, Dawson

February 11th, 2014 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After seeing the Seahawks handily dispatch the Broncos in the Super Bowl this month, the 49ers likely felt as if they were a Richard Sherman deflection away from being champions themselves. They’ll aim for a different result next season, but before they do, there are several roster decisions facing the club. Let’s take a look at a few of them….

  • In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando takes an in-depth look at Colin Kaepernick‘s next contract with the 49ers. While conventional wisdom dictates that the team would be wise to lock up its quarterback as soon as possible, sources who spoke to Sando didn’t get the impression that San Francisco considers Kaepernick “irreplaceable” yet, suggesting that the club could wait on a new deal. If the two sides do work out an agreement with offseason, Sando expects it to be something in the neighborhood of $45MM for three years.
  • Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, safety Donte Whitner and cornerback Tarell Brown are among the 2013 starters who the 49ers would like to re-sign, but none of them appears to be a realistic candidate for the franchise tag, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While Boldin and Whitner were key contributors in San Francisco this past season, the projected franchise salaries of approximately $11.5MM for receivers and $8MM for safeties are likely a little too pricey for the Niners.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why using the franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson isn’t a viable option for the 49ers. Having already been franchised twice, Dawson would be eligible to earn the franchise salary for a quarterback rather than a kicker if he were tagged.

NFC West Rumors: Kaepernick, 49ers, Peterson

January 30th, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Colin Kaepernick is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but it doesn’t sound like he intends to pry every last penny out of the 49ers if and when the two sides negotiate a long-term deal. Appearing on KNBR’s Murph & Mac, today, Kaepernick said that a “balance” was necessary for the sake of the team, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee details.

“You want to be paid fairly for what you feel like you’re doing in comparison to your peers,” Kaepernick said. “But at the same time, you have to realize, if we want to get Anquan Boldin back, if we want Donte Whitner to come back, we’re going to have to make moves to get them back. And there has to be room for everyone. And that’s something I’m going to let my agent and the organization try to figure out.”

Here’s more on Kaepernick and the Niners, along with notes on a couple other NFC West clubs:

  • Following up on Kaepernick’s comments about a possible extension, Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group writes that the 49ers quarterback is taking a smart approach to negotiations.
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com takes a look at the 49ers‘ cap situation, including which players may not return in 2014 at their current salary.
  • Appearing at the Waste Management Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-Am, Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson addressed his contract situation, saying that he’d like a deal that would keep him in Arizona “for a while,” according to Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com. Peterson is extension-eligible for the first time offseason, though the Cardinals could also simply exercise his fifth-year option for 2015 and put off negotiations for another year.
  • At least three coordinators involved in this weekend’s Super Bowl could be future head coaches, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe in a piece that discusses Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell and DC Dan Quinn.
  • Earlier today, we heard that Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be open to restructuring his contract this offseason.