March 2017 - San Francisco 49ers Wiretap

49ers To Meet With Myles Garrett In Case Browns Don't Take Him No. 1

Mar 30, 2017 1:35 PM

The San Francisco 49ers will meet with Myles Garrett in case the Cleveland Browns don't take him first overall as widely expected.

The 49ers own the second overall pick.

John Lynch was on hand for Garrett’s pro day workout in College Station, Texas, and seemed dutifully impressed that Garrett participated.

“I thought it was impressive,” Lynch said. “Here’s this kid who really doesn’t need to show everyone much more, but yet he shows up and runs a 40. I think it just speaks to the kind of kid he is. It was impressive. It’s well-documented – I’m not saying anything ground-breaking – he’s a special athlete.

“He checks all the boxes. That’s why people are talking about him in the way they are.”

Darin Gantt/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Draft, Draft Misc

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Colin Kaepernick Remaining Unsigned This Late Is Historical Anomaly

Mar 29, 2017 4:58 PM

Since 1966, only one under-30 quarterback has had as good a year as Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 has gone unsigned the next year.

Due to Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem last season, there have been questions as to whether that's the reason teams have been avoiding him.

It’s difficult to find a recent free agent quarterback who played at Kaepernick’s level and lasted so long on the market the next offseason. Matt Leinart (2012) and Kyle Orton (2014) signed nearly 50 days into their free agency, but neither had played much the year before. Michael Vick wasn’t signed for 169 days in 2015, but he was also older and coming off a season (39.4 QBR) far worse than Kaepernick’s 2016.

Beyond the political component of Kaepernick's situation, there is an unusual factor this offseason in that Tony Romo's status remains uncertain.

Kyle Wagner, Neil Paine/Five Thirty Eight

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Free Agent Rumor, Legal, Misc Rumor

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Jerry Jones' Legends To Profit Immensely Due To NFL Relocations

Mar 28, 2017 2:49 PM

Jerry Jones is a large shareholder of Legends, a hospitality-marketing company that will now sell the suites, concessions and sponsorships for the Las Vegas stadium for the Raiders.

Jones played a big role in guiding the Raiders to Las Vegas, as he did for the 49ers in Santa Clara and the Rams and Chargers in Los Angeles.

Legends is expected to earn hundreds of millions of dollars due to this new stadium activity.

Some valuations of Legends has eclipsed a few NFL teams.

Tim Kawakami/San Jose Mercury News

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers

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49ers Not Expecting To Convert Raiders' Fans

Mar 27, 2017 7:46 PM

The San Francisco 49ers aren't expecting fans of the Oakland Raiders to convert into supporters of their team.

The 49ers will be the lone franchise in the Bay Area for the third time in their history.

"The Raiders fans are a unique group," York said. "I don't know that they've necessarily been loyal to L.A. or to Oakland, I think they have always been loyal to the Raiders. I think you'll see the Raiders following them wherever they may go, and going to Las Vegas in a few years, I think you'll see that really take place.

"So for us, I don't think it's a big win for the 49ers, but I think it's a good thing for the National Football League. The Raiders have tried to get a deal done in Oakland for a decade-plus, and they were unfortunately unable to do anything, and I think Las Vegas put together a good opportunity for the Raiders to continue to have a good experience for their overall fan base wherever their fans come from."

Season-ticket revenue for the 49ers didn't spike when the Raiders left Oakland initially and didn't dip when they returned.

Nick Wagoner/ESPN

Tags: Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers

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Richard Sherman Believes Colin Kaepernick Being Blackballed

Mar 24, 2017 5:36 PM

Richard Sherman was asked if Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL teams.

Kaepernick's protest during the national anthem became a major story and there are reports of NFL owners afraid to sign him due to political pressure.

"I'm sure he is," Sherman said. "It's difficult to see because he's played at such a high level, and you see guys, quarterbacks, who have never played at a high level being signed by teams. So it's difficult to understand. Obviously he's going to be in a backup role at this point. But you see quarterbacks, there was a year Matt Schaub had a pretty rough year and got signed the next year. So it has nothing to do with football. You can see that. They signed guys who have had off years before."

While Sherman initially said Kaepernick would have to settle for a backup role, he later changed his mind when considering some of the other quarterbacks who have gotten starting jobs.

"You don't have 32 starting-level quarterbacks in this league," Sherman said. "You have about eight elites, and then you have the rest of the league. You have about eight, nine elite quarterbacks. You have two or three who have the potential to be elite. And then you have the rest of the teams. So he could play and start on a ton of teams in this league. He would be a starter on probably 20 of the teams in this league. But you're telling me that you're going to let other guys, you're going to pick up some of these other guys and tell me that they're starters?"

Sheil Kapadia/ESPN

Tags: San Francisco 49ers

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Solomon Thomas Goes To 49ers At No. 2 In Half Of Major Mock Drafts

Mar 21, 2017 6:23 PM

Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas is expected to be selected by the 49ers by nine of 17 major mock drafts.

New general manager John Lynch played at Stanford.

Thomas had 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season, including a sack in the Sun Bowl.

Daniel Mano/San Jose Mercury News

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Draft, Draft Misc, Misc Rumor

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Donald Trump Takes Credit For Colin Kaepernick Being Unsigned

Mar 21, 2017 7:47 AM

President Donald Trump has taken credit for the fact that Colin Kaepernick has not signed with a team since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers three weeks ago.

Trump said he read an article about NFL owners' fears about signing Kaepernick and said, "They don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Do you believe that?"

Trump added that he wanted to share this with "the people of Kentucky because they like it when people actually stand for the American flag."

Kaepernick famously took a knee during the national anthem before 49ers games last fall to protest what he said was oppression of people of color, leading to dozens of athletes in multiple sports following with protests of their own.

In the midst of explaining his actions to reporters, Kaepernick called then-candidate Trump "openly racist."

ESPN

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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49ers Remain Open To Bringing Back Colin Kaepernick

Mar 20, 2017 4:11 PM

The San Francisco 49ers are still open to bringing Colin Kaepernick back into the mix at quarterback.

The club currently has Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley as options under center.

"(Kaepernick) was, in everyone's mind in this league, very close to signing a deal with a team at a really good number and it fell through, apparently," John Lynch said. "Here we are with two quarterbacks, but like we said, we're gonna look at every option. The likelihood of that happening has probably gone down significantly, but we're not going to close our mind or our options on anyone, including him."

Jeremy Bergman/NFL

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Dwight Clark Reveals ALS Diagnosis

Mar 20, 2017 7:21 AM

Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Clark is best known for his leaping touchdown catch during the NFC Championship Game in 1982.

"In September of 2015, I started feeling weakness in my left hand," Clark wrote in a statement on former 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo, Jr.'s website. "I was mildly paying attention to it because since my playing days, I've constantly had pain in my neck. I was thinking it was related to some kind of nerve damage because it would just come and go.

"After months of tests and treatment, I got some bad news," he continued. "I was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. I have ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Those words are still very hard for me to say."

Clark, 60, says he has also lost significant strength in his right hand, midsection, lower back and right leg and says he "can't run, play golf or walk any distances'' and that "picking up anything over 30 pounds is a chore.'' He adds "that the disease seems to be progressing more slowly than in some patients.''

ESPN

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Misc Rumor

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Colin Kaepernick Receiving No Interest Despite QB-Needy Teams

Mar 17, 2017 10:59 AM

Colin Kaepernick hasn't visited a single team since the start of free agency and even quarterback-needy teams don't appear to be interested.

Players of Kaepernick's caliber usually get multiple shots but there are a number of factors working against him.

"He can still play at a high level," one AFC general manager said. "The problem is three things are happening with him.

"First, some teams genuinely believe that he can't play. They think he's shot. I'd put that number around 20 percent.

"Second, some teams fear the backlash from fans after getting him. They think there might be protests or [President Donald] Trump will tweet about the team. I'd say that number is around 10 percent. Then there's another 10 percent that has a mix of those feelings.

"Third, the rest genuinely hate him and can't stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem]. They want nothing to do with him. They won't move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did."

One executive even called him "an embarrassment to football."

Kaepernick plans on standing for the national anthem this season.

Mike Freeman/Bleacher Report

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Ravens Trade Jeremy Zuttah To 49ers
The Ravens had planned to release Jeremy Zuttah.

Jamison Hensley/ESPN

49ers Will Continue To Explore Quarterback Market
The two signings are perhaps a signal the 49ers don't intend to use the second overall pick on a quarterback.

Matt Maiocco/Comcast

Kirk Cousins Signs Franchise Tender With Washington
Kirk Cousins and Washington can negotiate a long-term deal through July 15th.

Adam Schefter/ESPN

Brian Hoyer To Sign Two-Year, $12M Deal With 49ers
There is an understanding Brian Hoyer will have a chance to start for the 49ers.

Adam Caplan/ESPN

49ers Expected To Pursue Pierre Garcon
Pierre Garcon could command around $10 million annually.

Conor Orr/NFL

Report: 'More Likely Than Not' Kirk Cousins Goes To 49ers
Washington has placed the franchise tag on Cousins but they're open to moving on from him with draft compensation.

Michael Silver/NFL.com

Torrey Smith To Be Released By 49ers
Torrey Smith signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the 49ers in 2015.

Steve Smith/NFL.com

Tony Romo Covets Texans, Chiefs, Broncos With 49ers, Rams Interested
Tony Romo would like to join a playoff contender as Peyton Manning did with the Broncos.

Jason La Canfora/CBS Sports

49ers Impressed By DeShone Kizer's Interview
At 6-foot-4 1/2, 233 pounds, DeShone Kizer proved to be the biggest of the combine's QB prospects.

Chase Goodbread/NFL.com

Colin Kaepernick Will Stand During National Anthem In 2017
Colin Kaepernick no longer wants his method of protest to detract from the positive change that he believes has been created.

Adam Schefter/ESPN

Colin Kaepernick Opts Out Of Contract With 49ers For 2017
Colin Kaepernick's contract was originally supposed to keep him with the Niners through 2020, but it was reworked in October before he reclaimed the starting job.

Adam Caplan/ESPN