Alex Smith, 49ers Agree To 3-Year Deal

The offensive line was one of San Francisco’s biggest weak spots last year. During the regular season, the offense averaged just 4.1 yards per carry, finishing 20th in the league, and gave up the seventh-most sacks in the NFL. With Alex Smith locked into a three-year deal worth up to $33 million, head coach Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers front office no doubt would like to protect their investment as much as possible.

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According to the Associated Press, the contract has a maximum value of $33 million.

Smith would probably have to play very, very well, or make another NFC Championship run, in order to reach the full value of the deal. The 49ers were reportedly offering Smith a three-year, $24 million deal before they made their Manning advances.

Smith broke out under head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2011 after five oft-disappointing seasons. He threw for 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He led the Niners in a dramatic comeback victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoffs in January.

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The Broncos won the AFC West last season, and with Manning they’ll be the favorite to repeat. In fact, they have to be considered a Super Bowl contender right now.

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Lloyd is one of the top receivers on the market and the 49ers need receivers for Alex Smith. Their passing game was the weakness last year despite a run to the NFC Championship game. Adding Lloyd would be a big coup for San Francisco.

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Cox had a decent, but not necessarily standout rookie season in 2010. He played in 15 games and made nine starts. But he sat out the 2011 season due to some legal troubles and was likely deemed expendable for those very reasons. He was on trial for allegedly raping a woman who was incoherent. Although he was acquitted of those charges just recently, it appears the Broncos were no longer interested in dealing with him.

Moss has always been a freak of an athlete so if anyone has something left in the tank at 35 years old and a year removed from playing football then it’s Moss. The concern is that his success is predicated on his speed, which usually doesn’t get better at age 35.

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The biggest concern for the 49ers is obviously Alex Smith, who is still unsigned. San Francisco isn’t going to let Smith walk away, though, and even if the two sides don’t reach a deal in a day, when free agency officially opens, it’s likely that they’ll come to one soon. The other big goal in free agency should be for the team to find some talented wide receivers to surround Smith.

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Update: The Associated Press has confirmed the agreement between Moss and the 49ers.

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Alex Smith, the 49ers starting quarterback from the 2011 season, is currently scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent when NFL free agency starts 4 p.m. Tuesday. Smith had a resurgence in his career last season, putting up an efficient 3,144 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and just five interceptions, helping get the 49ers make it to the NFC Championship Game. According to Barrows, Smith is the top priority for the 49ers to sign.

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Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Niners plan on giving the franchise tag to Goldson on Friday. Goldson was set to become a free agent beginning on March 13, but now the 49ers will have at least through 2012 to attempt to work out a long-term contract extension with the player.

Goldson has been with San Francisco since being drafted by the team in 2007. Goldson was working on a one-year contract with the team in 2011, during which he was one of the top safeties in the NFC and made his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

Brooks had a career year in 2011 for the 49ers, who had one of the top defenses in the league. Brooks was one of the leaders of that defense, logging 7.0 sacks to finish third on the team in that category. He was primarily a pass-rush specialist but he did make 49 tackles, which was 18 more than he’d ever made in a season prior to 2011.

For more on the Brooks’ signing, be sure to check out 49ers blog Niners Nation.

Dashon Goldson was set to become a free agent this offseason but will reportedly be franchise tagged by the San Francisco 49ers. The tag will keep Goldson around on a one-year deal, allowing San Francisco to also work on a long-term contract in the meantime.

The report comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Niners plan to rectify this issue in the offseason via free agency and the NFL Draft according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

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Here’s the full list of the 49ers’ free agents, courtesy of Mac’s Football Blog.

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