49ers sign WR Jerome Simpson to 2-year contract

Well, apparently the San Francisco 49ers have decided "two pounds" is their guy. The team has signed wide receiver Jerome Simpson to a two-year contract, with the team confirming the news. There is no word on salary, but I would be surprised if it was much more than the league minimum. He might have gotten a small signing bonus, but we'll see as more information comes available.

The 49ers could lose Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd to free agency, and there has been much speculation about Stevie Johnson's future. Signing Simpson provides a low risk, decent upside receiver to throw in the mix. Simpson had a strong 2013 season, but sat out 2014 following a three-game suspension for a DUI and marijuana possession. This followed a previous suspension when he had two pounds of marijuana shipped to himself.

This move kind of reminds me of the Perrish Cox signing back in 2012. The 49ers signed Cox after he sat out the previous season getting through a sexual assault trial. He was found not guilty and then got back into football. He was primarily the dime back in 2012, bounced around in 2013, and then had his best season as a pro in 2014. Simpson might not follow a similar path, but it just sort of hit me as I was writing this.

Now we get to see how many Bay Area articles feature "class" or "classy" in their headline or lede. I'll set an over/under of 2.5. You figure only columnists would do that, so that automatically lowers the total a bit.