Today marks the deadline for teams to work out long term deals with their franchise players. After today, the franchise player's only options are to sign the one-year tender, or to hold out for some period of time. If a franchise player elects to hold out, they need to report by midseason to accrue the season and force a further increase if their team franchises them again next year.
The big news late last week saw Saints franchise QB Drew Brees come to terms on a long term deal. Over the weekend, Raiders franchise safety Tyvon Branch agreed to terms on a deal. There are still several players, including 49ers safety Dashon Goldson, attempting to work out a deal. Ray Rice, Matt Forte, Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe and Cliff Avril are among the more prominent players trying to get something done.
According to a CSN Bay Area source, there has not been any progress in getting a deal done for Dashon Goldson. In light of that, Goldson has indicated he is prepared to play this season under the franchise contract, so a holdout would appear to be unlikely. All indications are that Goldson has been busting his butt throughout the offseason to stay in shape, but it would be nice to get him into camp on time to get more work within the 49ers system. The more people on the same page, the better.