Show of hands: who thought free agency would be this quiet for the San Francisco 49ers? While it may be the organization's way of saying "We're rebuilding, we shouldn't be paying for big names yet", there is still an air of disappointment in all of this.
There was a time when we actually signed free agents, and arguably none were more productive than the man they called "Prime Time", Deion Sanders. After five years with the Atlanta Falcons, Sanders came to San Francisco on a 1-year deal. A year that wound up being one of his best.
The team had only one goal that year: beat the Cowboys. Not only did they accomplish that, they laid a 49-26 drubbing on the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX
As for the season itself? It was really weird. Steve Young got benched in one game, while in another, Prime Time got to head to Atlanta and get booed louder than Andre the Giant did at Wrestlemania III. The Super Bowl, while awesome, was pretty much a bore for anyone who wasn't even the slightest fan of the 49ers. A very weird, weird season.
After it all ended, Sanders' value went through the roof and several teams started to court him. And wouldn't you know? He went to the Cowboys. While the 49ers did in fact make an attempt at keeping Prime, they weren't even the highest bidder. That acknowledgement goes to the Oakland Raiders. It was short, it was brief, but it won us a Super Bowl.
I'd say that was a pretty good signing.