He's baaaaacccckkkkk. OK, it's not a remotely surprising development, but John Clayton is reporting the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to terms with QB Alex Smith on a one year deal worth approximately $5 million.

This has been expected throughout most of the lockout and really peaked when Jim Harbaugh elected to give Alex Smith a copy of the playbook as well as powerpoint slides to start teaching the offensive unit the Jim Harbaugh/Greg Roman West Coast Offense. While Smith can't officially sign his contract until Friday and can't start practicing until August 4 (when the CBA is expected to be officially ratified), this more or less clears up the one of the easier hurdles facing the 49ers front office.

The 49ers are still potentially in the market for another quarterback. They have David Carr, drafted Colin Kaepernick and recently signed UDFA Jeremiah Masoli. Now they're linked to Matt Hasselbeck, although Tennessee is also in the mix and likely a little more desperate for some veteran leadership for Jake Locker.

For now, the Alex Smith Experience enters season number seven. While this was expected, it's fairly amazing when you think of where he was early last season. He has a lot to prove and I'm not holding my breath, but at the same time I will continue to hope he figures out whatever it is he needs to figure out