49ers GM Trent Baalke took some time out of his day to speak with Tim Kawakami in an interview that lasted 36 minutes and covered a whole host of topics. They discussed Camp Alex, how free agency would play out after the lockout, and even the competitive nature between Baalke and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Take a few minutes to read through the entire interview as Baalke provides some solid insight into a variety of areas.
In the interview, Baalke stated that Dashon Goldson is high on the priority list as far as re-signing 49ers free agents. Although the 49ers will see changes in their defense, Baalke views Goldson as a top priotiy. He seemed to express a preference in re-signing David Baas as well, but the framing of the question and the subsequent answer do leave a bit of room for interpretation. As Baalke described it:
With a guy like David, obviously he stepped into a tough situation last year and made the most out of it. He's the type of individual that you want. He's got the intangibles, the characteristics you want. And he's a good football player. You don't want to lose good football players. And once again, you can't keep ‘em all.
Those are things that have to play out. Would we like to keep him? Absolutely. Will we be able to keep him? I hope we can.
It seems like Alex Smith, Dashon Goldson, David Baas and Ray McDonald top the 49ers priority list. Beyond that who really knows at this point. Baalke acknowledged they can't keep everybody so it becomes a matter of priority. Baalke indicated the team will not be an aggressive team when it comes to outside free agents, so once the salary cap is determined we might have a better idea of what the 49ers free agency plans entail more specifically. it seems likely that the team's options are primarily internal for 2011. That would indicate no Nnamdi and no significant free agent additions. Of course, Baalke could also be playing a bit coy in this whole situations.