Time for a new contract for Alex Smith?

C'mon man! Not yet! The Niners have to see exactly how he performs and leads during these last few games.

Man, Alex owes the Niners anyways! The first four years, he basically STOLE about $35-40 million from the Niners.

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:
If Alex Smith shows enough talent for franchise tender we wouldn't really have to worry about him fleeing if we plan to lock him up after next season (but if we make the playoffs in 2010 he'll definitely get franchised immediately). If the man decided to stick around with the same franchise that almost ruined him, then he'll stick around with the franchise that's giving him noble success as an individual.

loyalty goes a long way, i think smith wants to be here because he feels he owes the franchise for sticking with him. he made every effort to stay with this franchise, even on IR he would go to the QB meetings. this is the kind of guy i want running my team, he gives it everything he's got. how many QB's, especially with his injury history, do u see going after big ass LB's and tackling them, or taking out that big b*****d from dallas in the preseason to block for a team mate? not many, and he's coming into his own as a great QB. they have to lock him up, but wait till season's end or next season because i think he's signed till 2011 so we have time

How would you assign Smith's value? If I am Smith, I am asking for top 10 money as a QB. If I am a 49er manager, I am assigning his value at around top 15 - and even that is a risk. Giving long contracts to one year wonders is very risky - high risk of being a bust. I think the best thing the 49ers can do is offer Smith a contract for 2 years (one year more than the current contract). I would offer him 6 million a year for 2 years (with probably half that in a signing bonus), and would be willing to pay him even more than that, just to get the 2 year deal. Then, after next year, with 1.5 years worth of production to examine, I then offer him a long term deal commensurate with his value.

I think the one thing we want to avoid is franching our starting QB. What if he holds out and refuses to sign the franchise tender? Smith would be holding all of the power cards in the negotiation and would be able to get far more than his value.

no

Originally posted by fryet:
How would you assign Smith's value? If I am Smith, I am asking for top 10 money as a QB. If I am a 49er manager, I am assigning his value at around top 15 - and even that is a risk. Giving long contracts to one year wonders is very risky - high risk of being a bust. I think the best thing the 49ers can do is offer Smith a contract for 2 years (one year more than the current contract). I would offer him 6 million a year for 2 years (with probably half that in a signing bonus), and would be willing to pay him even more than that, just to get the 2 year deal. Then, after next year, with 1.5 years worth of production to examine, I then offer him a long term deal commensurate with his value.

I think the one thing we want to avoid is franching our starting QB. What if he holds out and refuses to sign the franchise tender? Smith would be holding all of the power cards in the negotiation and would be able to get far more than his value.

they should start negotiating now before he even gets close to being a free agent. he is in contract until 2011 so they have plenty of time. im sure smith would like a sense of stability too, knowing where he's going to be beyond the next couple years.

Originally posted by djfullshred:
No. He neds to play lights out for a while to finally earn all that money they already payed him.

Alex will always be a 49er. I'm betting he is a niner until 2023...So I wouldn't worry about any contracts up coming.

Least of our worries at this time

It is not in Smith's interest to sign a long term contract unless it has very favorable terms for him. Currently, Smith would be around the 15th best QB in the NFL. Chances are he will be top 10 within a couple of years (of course no guarantees). If he signs at top 15 money now he could be missing out in a lot of money. On the other hand, the 49er management would be crazy to sign him at top 10 money when he hasn't produced at that level. So Smith would do well to avoid signing a new contract, and playing hard so that when he reaches free agency next year, teams are outbidding themselves for his services.

The 49ers, of course, don't want that, so the best solution for both teams is a 2 year contract, heavy with a signing bonus. He plays one year of that contract, and if he does well, they rip up the second year, and sign him to a long term contract, based on his play over the 1.5 year time period. If he plays well, both sides win, and if he plays poorly, then the 49ers were able to avoid paying a lot of money to someone that just happened to play a good 10 games of a season.

omfg I have died and THIS is Hell

Don't even consider a new contract until he shows he deserves it. His winning record doesn't exactly give reason to be confident in him. He can throw all the yardage he wants and all the touchdowns he wants, but it means nothing it all he can get is losses. If he gets to 7-1 or 9-2 next year, then it is time to offer him a fair contract based on what he has accomplished. It is time to stop paying for POTENTIAL. We need Results. He is looking better though, just needs to make it pay off.

I thought it would be helpful to compare Alex Smith to the rest of league when it comes to starting QBs. Of course, my rankings are subjective, but most should agree that they are within one grade point of being correct (that or I am way offbase (: ).

A: Top 5 QB
B: Top 10 QB
C: Top 15 QB
D: Less than average QB, but hope that they may improve (rookies will generally be here)
F: Team needs a new QB

New England - A
Miami Dolphins - D
NY Jets - D
Buffalo Bills - F

Cincinnati Bengals - B
Baltimore Ravens - C
Pittsburgh Steelers - B
Cleveland Browns - F

Indianapolis - A
Jacksonville - C
Tennesee Titans - C
Houstan Texans - C

San Diego - B
Denver Broncos - D
Oakland - F
KC - C

Dallas - C
Philadelphia - B
NY Giants - B
Redskins - D

Vikings - A
Packers - B
Bears - D
Lions - D

Saints - A
Falcons - C
Panthers - F
Buccaneers - D

Cardinals - A
49ers - C
Seahawks - B
Rams - F

I wasn't able to hold to the rankings above, as B ended up being top 12, and C ended up being top 20. What this tells me is that 20 teams in the NFL have a QB that can win them games, and the bottom 12 need improvement in their QB position to be competitive. So right now, the 49ers are middle of the pack when it comes to their QB play. I can definitely see Smith getting a B rating next year...
A: 5
B: 7
C: 8
D: 7
F: 5

Hell no! I say we wait until after next season. Alex only gets an extension if he takes the Niners to the playoffs!

Originally posted by djfullshred:
No. He neds to play lights out for a while to finally earn all that money they already payed him.

I agree. I would also like to see him get us a win. Instead of throws and plays like he did against the texans and the seahawks at the end. I would like to see him make those plays to keep the game alive and put us in the endzone for the win. He has had a few chances and hasn't gotten that yet. But he is looking great in comparison to his past and I have hope he can do it.

Originally posted by BirdmanJr:
Lets wait till we are for sure he is the franchise.

I don't care if he costs us more money, if he puts up 4k yards and 30TD's I have no problem paying him.

.

If he lights it up for the rest of year then work to extend his contract in the off season for maybe 2 years past the 1 year we already have him for.