Just a little bit ago, I received an email from a trusted source indicating that QB Alex Smith would "probably" sign a new contract with the San Francisco 49ers before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. A lot of reports have been that the 49ers were not rushing to re-sign any of their free agents so this information would run counter to that. Given that I'm not listing who that source is you're more than welcome to take it with a big grain of salt at this point. However the source is not some random dude I came across while walking in Union Square.
I suppose my use of the word "might" is a bit cheesy at this point. I don't think I've ever reported an anonymous source tip on Niners Nation so you could say I'm a bit gun shy on this. When I first heard this information I was a bit confused given the fact that Smith has not had an opportunity to test the free agent market during his NFL career. If this rumor does prove true, it might very well speak to Jim Harbaugh's power of persuasion. He did an excellent job in recruiting at Stanford where the academic standards make it notoriously hard for recruiting. Smith has been through hell and back in San Francisco, so I have to think it would take one heck of a sales job to get him back.
Harbaugh has talked in fairly glowing terms but I was always under the impression it was as much because there weren't many great options out there and Harbaugh didn't want to burn his bridges. Smith potentially re-signing is really not the most shocking bit of news at this point. The 49ers don't know if they'll be able to make a deal for a Kevin Kolb or Josh Johnson, and furthermore we don't even know if they want to make such a deal. Smith re-signing would arguably be just as much an indictment of the available QBs as it would be an endorsement of Smith.
Whatever the case, if Smith does in fact re-sign with the 49ers tonight or tomorrow before 9:00pm pacific, it'll be time to buckle back in to the rollercoaster.