Anquan Boldin: ‘There was no fight out here’

Wide receiver Antonio Brown cleared waivers on Friday after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. That officially makes him a free agent. However, teams may be hesitant to sign him given how things ended with his former team. During the third quarter of the Buccaneers' Week 17 contest against the New York Jets, Brown shockingly took off his helmet, jersey, and pads, and then exited MetLife Stadium. "He is no longer a Buc," head coach Bruce Arians said after the game. On Friday morning, before Brown cleared waivers, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch took part in his weekly KNBR interview. Surprisingly, he was asked if his team might be interested in Brown given his 49ers might be headed to the playoffs with a win over

It's not impossible to imagine a situation where the 49ers and defensive lineman Arden Key are unable to hammer out a new contract this offseason, but it won't be because Key isn't happy being a part of the organization. Key signed with the 49ers on a one-year deal in April after being let go by the Raiders, for whom he played three seasons after being selected as a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Key has voiced displeasure in the past about his time with the Raiders after posting just 37 tackles and three sacks over those three seasons, but he's had the exact opposite reaction about his time with the 49ers, which has seen him collect a career high 6.5 sacks and 17

The San Francisco 49ers had a long list of unexpected heroes in their 27-24 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but none of them made for a better feel-good story than rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas. A third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan, Thomas has come a long way in a short time for the 49ers after being used sparingly earlier in the year. Thomas was inactive for much of the first half of the season and only saw 20 total snaps on defense before Week 14, then was eventually pressed into action due to injuries and entered the starting lineup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. He had some struggles at first, but Thomas eventually came into his own and has been a significant contributor on defense ever

The San Francisco 49ers' decision to play quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Sunday against the rival Los Angeles Rams was heavily scrutinized from the start. And rightfully so. Garoppolo suffered a torn ligament in the thumb of his throwing hand during the Week 16 game against the Tennessee Titans. That injury will require surgery this offseason. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan felt confident with putting Garoppolo out there Sunday in a must-win matchup to make the playoffs. The uncertainty of that decision left many fans on edge leading up to and during the game at SoFi Stadium. When the 49ers fell behind by 17 points in the first half of the game, it appeared that head coach Kyle Shanahan's decision was going to be the nail in the coffin for their season, as