NFL Free Agency picks up with day three after a relatively quiet second day. There were transactions but even outside of the 49ers patient approach to free agency, the hustle and bustle of free agency hasn't quite been there. A host of solid second tier free agents remain on the market, meaning we could have a second rush at some point.
What I continue to find baffling is the lack of activity surrounding nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin. Bill Barnwell and Peter King have since picked up on it as the silence is deafening. Franklin is arguably one of the top defensive tackles available in free agency and there has been next to nothing said about him. Jason La Canfora made one mention early on about how people figured he'd end up with the Chiefs but that hasn't happened and they just added Kelly Gregg.
Given the silence, are there any thoughts as to why nobody is even nibbling on Franklin? I suppose it could simply be a case of nobody leaking anything out, but in this day and age, if there was a remotely active market for Franklin, we would have heard some rumor. If there is little interest in Franklin, why would that be?
One possibility is he and his agent have set a certain asking process and don't want to come down from that. Yet, if offers aren't coming in, eventually Franklin has to lower his price. It would be delusional not to. Why might his price be too high? Well, at soon to be 31 years of age, Franklin didn't really start to come into his own until 2008/2009. He struggled early last year following his wait to sign the franchise tender, which can't look good for future employers.
The 49ers seem set to move past Franklin with the insertion of Isaac Sopoaga into the starting lineup. If Franklin came back to the 49ers looking for a somewhat cheaper contract, do the 49ers reverse course and bring him back? It seems like an easy decision, but given the lack of news, who knows what is really going on.