It was a busy day across the NFL as the negotiating window for impending free agents officially kicked off on Monday at 9 a.m. PT. Within nine minutes, former San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Brown, who spent last season working toward a Super Bowl championship with the New England Patriots, agreed to move back to the West Coast after coming to terms on a massive four-year deal worth up to $66 million with the Oakland Raiders.
Another former Niner, running back Frank Gore, found a new home after agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers' all-time leading rusher is entering his 15th NFL season.
All was quiet when it comes to All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, who many expect the 49ers to pursue in free agency. One Monday-afternoon report stated that San Francisco had not yet reached out to Thomas' representatives. There is still time before deals can become official on Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT.
Two other safeties, Tyrann Mathieu and Landon Collins, found new NFL homes. Mathieu will sign a three-year deal with the Kansas Chiefs while Collins will ink a six-year deal with the Washington Redskins. Each contract will pay its player an average salary of $14 million per season, which set the market for top NFL safeties. Thomas will likely seek more.
49ers will sign LB Kwon Alexander
The 49ers did make a move on Monday. The team will sign Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander to a four-year deal worth up to $54 million, which reportedly includes $27 million in guarantees. San Francisco needed to address the linebacker position after releasing its former first-round pick, Reuben Foster, this past season.
Alexander, 24, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2017. His 2018 season was cut short due to a torn ACL.
Jenna Laine joined KNBR on Monday and shared some interesting information about Alexander. She covers the Buccaneers for ESPN.
- Alexander has resumed weight training and started jogging as part of his ACL rehab. He should not have any limitations going into training camp.
- Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and former head coach Dirk Koetter called Alexander the "heartbeat of the defense."
- Laine acknowledges that Alexander is "up there" in the missed tackles category but says he is making those mistakes while going "like 500 miles an hour."
- Even at a young age, Alexander holds teammates accountable.
- Alexander lost his brother to gun violence as a rookie but played the very next day. He had 11 tackles, an interception, and s fumble recovery in the game against the Atlanta Falcons.
- Alexander is very good against the run.
You can listen to the entire interview with Laine below.
Reported Interest
Alexander wasn't the only news coming out of Santa Clara. The 49ers have reportedly expressed interest in a couple of impending free-agent cornerbacks, Pierre Desir of the Indianapolis Colts and Bradley Roby of the Denver Broncos. San Francisco still seeks some stability on the other side of last year's big free agent signing, Richard Sherman.
The 49ers also reportedly made a late push for 16-year veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs, who ultimately decided to join the Arizona Cardinals, and were at least interested in Anthony Barr. The latter interest likely ended with the signing of Alexander.
Then you have the curious rumor which gained some traction on Monday. Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that the 49ers might be interested in former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. The New York Jets, however, remain the favorite to land the versatile running back.
I'm sooooo torn right now 😩😩😩😩...decisions
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) March 11, 2019
While the 49ers reportedly made an "exploratory call" to the Steelers last year to inquire about Bell, that was after the team lost both running back Jerick McKinnon and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending ACL injuries. Both players are expected to be healthy for the start of the upcoming season.
Bell sat out all of last season as part of a contract dispute with the Steelers, who placed the franchise tag on the running back for the second season in a row.
We'll see what Tuesday brings.
