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Day three of free agency is wrapping up and it was a relatively quiet day for the 49ers. Although the team did host visits at 4949 Centennial Boulevard, it was a day of restless waiting for fans. This waiting was not helped by the Seattle Seahawks signing defensive end Michael Bennett to a one year deal. The Seahawks have now added Bennett and Cliff Avril, developing some serious depth along the line. If Chris Clemons gets back to 100%, that might be the deepest defensive line in the league.
The 49ers hosted a few players as they slowly work their way toward deals. Thursday was a bit annoying because we saw some random people on Twitter claiming to break news about the team, and particularly their dealings with Nnamdi Asomugha. It is a shame less known sources are less likely to be believed, but there are certain people on Twitter that create a bad name for others. Such is life on the Internet!
Ricky Jean Francois signs with the Colts
This was your biggest actual news of the day. The 49ers defensive lineman scored a four year deal worth $22 million. I don't blame him for scoring that deal, but I'm not surprised anything happened with the 49ers. With RJF and Dashon Goldson, it really seems like the team decided it would move on and simply avoid the drama. This happened to a lesser extent with Blake Costanzo after the 2011 season.
I prefer the 49ers being much more business-like as they look to the future. It can seem harsh at times, but the front office cannot let emotion get in the way of building the team for the present AND the future. Letting RJF, Goldson, Walker and Sopoaga walk made sense in the context of the bigger picture.
49ers host Nnamdi Asomugha
The former Eagle and Raider was in Santa Clara for a sizable chunk of the day. There is reportedly mutual interest in getting something done, two years after Nnamdi "got away". I remain intrigued by what this could mean for the 49ers current crew of cornerbacks. I just can't imagine they keep all of Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown and Chris Culliver if Nnamdi comes to town. Unless they're going all dime all the time, they'll likely need to cut one, with Rogers being the easy target. The team can designate him a June 1 cut and split his hit over two years. We'll see what they decide.
49ers host Dan Skuta
The team brought in the Bengals special teams ace for a visit on Thursday. He is listed as a linebacker, but would seem likely to spend most of his time with the various special teams unit. This could mean the team is ready to move on from Larry Grant and/or Tavares Gooden.
49ers host Louis Delmas
A sports agency tweeted out that Delmas had signed with the 49ers earlier today, but it turned out to be a dummy account. I say dummy because the Internet is loaded with dummies running these fake accounts. I guess I can kinda maybe see the fake Adam Schefter accounts. It's lame and pathetic, but they're well known. But to create a fake account for a sports agency that doesn't represent Louis Delmas? Seriously? Do you really have nothing better to do with your time?
At this point, Delmas might be the 49ers favorite at safety. Nothing is done as of this post publishing, but there are a couple reasons to think Delmas is the choice:
1. Charles Woodson and the 49ers apparently did not exchange numbers during their Wednesday visit
2. Ed Reed seems to be closing in on a deal with the Houston Texans
I don't know if Reed was at the top of the 49ers wish list, but it seems certain that Delmas is at least ahead of Woodson at this point, doesn't it?
John Abraham will be visiting the Patriots on Friday
In addition to Adrian Wilson, Patriots will host ex-Falcons DE John Abraham on a visit tomorrow.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 15, 2013
The 49ers hosted Abraham last week. He went home after the visit and we had not heard much of anything. I guess here's your update.
Ted Ginn Jr. visited with the Cincinnati Bengals
Per agent, #49ers WR Ted Ginn did visit #Bengals today. Not known if Cleveland native has other trips scheduled.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) March 15, 2013
The 49ers seem very much inclined to let Ginn walk. They seemed that way last year and ended up with one more year of him. This year, I'm inclined to think there is virtually no chance he is back in San Francisco. Kyle Williams and LaMichael James seem likely to get a crack at kick and punt returns. Both were solid in their chances there last year (James handling kicks, Kyle punts), so I see little reason to bring back Ginn after a bit of a down year as a return man.
Mario Manningham takes a pay cut
The 49ers wide receiver saw his base salary cut from $3.6 million to $1.8 million. Matt Maiocco added that he also lost out on a roster bonus, a workout bonus and some incentive money. This can free up some cap space for the 49ers, which in turn provides some opportunities for the team in the free agent market. I don't think move is necessarily indicative of something else happening, but it's helpful nonetheless.
We'll be back on Friday with another open thread, along with posts updating all the information of the day as it impacts the 49ers. Hopefully it will be a bit more action, and a bit less talk than we saw on day three. Nothing like some transactions to take us into the weekend, right?