From an article Maiocco put up at Comcast today:

"The 49ers structured the three-year contract with Smith last spring in such a way that he was not awarded a signing bonus. With the trade to Kansas City, Smith's contract will be immediately wiped off the 49ers' books at the beginning of the new league year on March 12, when every team must be under the cap. The Chiefs would assume the terms of the final two years of Smith's contract.


That kind of contract lets you know that the Niners had no long term plans for Smith as their QB. There was no security built into that contract. No big bonus. No penalty for the Niners should they decide they wanted to go in another direction. Simply an affordable contract that was easy for the Niners to get out from underneath, when they thought the time was right.

(Side note on the timing of Smith's benching. As it happened, Smith concussion came when his numbers, his stock, his value to another team was at it's highest point. What better time to put him on the shelf?)

It's the same kind of contract they worked out with Ahmed Brooks. When his extension was announced, it read like it was an 8 year deal, with millions coming to Brooks. But it was, in reality, a series of one year contracts that the Niners could cancel at any time(with little or no salary cap implications). And in terms of the millions going to Brooks, it had a series of conditions built in that would keep Brooks from collecting on the whole sum, year by year. A smart move considering the only thing that's ever held Brooks back was his unwillingness to stay in shape, and give it his all as a professional. (They knew he had talent, but they didn't really trust him.)

A couple of reminders that today's Niner Front Office is nothing like the Carmen/Vinny/Dwight front office.

In short, like a lot of things going on in Niner land right now... it's better. Not as much off season fun for us. But it's better.

I bring this up because I keep hearing the phrase; We have to hurry and sign our guys! And I don't think that's going to happen.

Goldson, Sopoaga, Jean-Francois, Walker et. al. are like the mooks that arrive at a filming of "Antiques Road Show" with Grandma's brass flower pot under their arm, expecting to hear that it originally belonged to a Conquistador named Fernando, and it's worth One MILLION Dollars!!! No idea why they think that, but they do. And they don't believe a word of it when they are told it's worth 8 bucks.

As with Carlos Rodgers last year, I think the Niner front office is going to let these guys enter the Free Agent market, and see just what kind of value other teams really do place on them. If teams want to break the bank for them... groovy. If not... maybe they'll come back and take whatever the Niners were offering. Either way... The Niners move forward.

Last Edited By: Kevin 03/01/13 03:28 PM. Edited 1 times.