The San Francisco 49ers officially announced that Larry Grant and Brett Swain have each signed one-year contracts. Grant was a restricted free agent this offseason with a seventh round pick tender. He was unable to find a starting job elsewhere and decided to return as the primary backup linebacker and a key special teams contributor.
Grant filled in for Patrick Willis late last season and did a very effective job. While he is not a replacement for either Willis or NaVorro Bowman, Grant showed the effectiveness of a solid backup option. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers elect to add an inside linebacker in the draft next week. Grant will be an unrestricted free agent after this coming season. His tender was limited this year, so it remains to be seen what his long term future holds.
Swain was a restricted free agent as well, but the 49ers did not tender him. He did not find a new deal and officially re-signed today. He will battle primarily for one of the final roster spots as a special teams contributor. Odds have to be fairly slim for him to earn a roster spot out of training camp.