The NFL free agency negotiating period begins tomorrow with actual free agency signings able to kick off on Wednesday. One key free agent for San Francisco is WR Anquan Boldin, who may already be looking past the 49ers.
NFL Network's Rand Getlin reported today that the 49ers' leading receiver in 2015 wants to play for a team that can "compete at the highest level." Does he consider the 49ers that type of team? Probably not.
As free agency approaches I'm told #49ers WR Anquan Boldin wants to play for a team that can compete at the highest level. Important to him.
The 49ers will be heading into their second straight season with a new head coach at the helm. Boldin, who is still performing at a high level considering the offensive disfunction that plagued the 49ers last season, is entering the twilight of his career. He will be 36 years old in October. The 49ers are likely not close to being a contender and are more likely in a rebuilding mode. If Boldin wants to finish his career for a contender, he may already have one foot out the door.
Boldin, who is the reigning NFL Man of the Year, was instrumental in bringing in free agent WR Torrey Smith, who looks to be more involved in 2016 than he was in 2015. It was reported in late January that Boldin and the 49ers had not had discussions about bringing him back to San Francisco and the team may be willing to look to the future as well. That future appears to not include Boldin.
Of course, it is possible that the 49ers are simply allowing Boldin to test the market and see what kind of demand there is for his services. If that demand is limited, they may try to bring him back at a reduced cost. The strategy has both worked and failed for the 49ers in the past.
In 2015, Boldin had 69 receptions for 789 yards and four touchdowns. That was the fewest receiving yards he has had since 2004 with the Arizona Cardinals, which was his second year in the league. Of course, those numbers were still enough to lead the team in receiving. Boldin had surpassed 1,000 yards (1,062 in 2014 and 1,179 in 2013) in each of his previous two seasons with San Francisco.
Boldin ranks 17th all-time in receiving yards with 13,195 and is 12th all-time in receptions with 1,009. He is 35 years old and will turn 36 in October.
Will Anquan Boldin be playing for a different team in 2016? #49ers
Javon Hargrave was nervous heading into free agency. He knew he would get paid but was concerned that he might have to sacrifice success in the process. The defensive tackle had just been to a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. Often, the teams with the most money to spend are the ones that are rebuilding.
Things appear to have worked out beautifully for Hargrave.
"Sometimes when you're trying to go get the money, you have to go to a team that's in a rebuild mode," Hargrave said. "But if you've got a chance to go to a team that was just in the NFC Championship, that's kind of an easy choice for me. So I was real happy about it.
"It really made me happy because I was real nervous about free agency, on where I was going to have to go. But I feel
(Episode 222) - Al Sacco and Zain Naqvi discuss Sam Darnold's best case scenario, some of the smaller names that joined the 49ers defense, how important bolstering the offensive line is, grading the current free agent class and more!
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Assessing the 49ers roster and needs after one week of free agency
By Kirk Larrabee
Mar 17
The first wave of free agency has come and gone, and the 49ers have had to say goodbye to a number of familiar faces while welcoming a few new ones. There's been a good amount of shuffling over the past week, but one thing remains clear -- the 49ers still have one of the best rosters in the NFL.
There's still more players to be added in the weeks ahead, both in the draft and in free agency. The 49ers still need depth and competition in a few areas, and maybe a new starter in a key spot on special teams. But with the way things look now, the 49ers could be looking at a fairly complete roster with very few weaknesses once they're done with their offseason moves.
Here's a look at where things stand by position as of March 17, along with some thoughts on where the
As usual, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was on hand for Stanford's annual pro day, when the Bay Area school touted its latest crop of aspiring NFL players. Before heading off to San Jose State's pro day, Lynch spoke with the few 49ers reporters attending the event, discussing the team's free-agency moves thus far.
Courting Hargrave
The most significant free-agent addition was former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, bolstering the interior of new coordinator Steve Wilks' defensive front.
Lynch and the 49ers set their sights on Hargrave, eventually signing him to a four-year, $84 million deal. Not only does the
