Marcus Lattimore has signed a four-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

Lattimore was considered a steal for the 49ers in the fourth round, but he is still recovering from three torn ligaments and a dislocated right knee.

"I just want to train as hard as I can," Lattimore said. "But I understand why they want me to slow down."

Lattimore said that being around Frank Gore is inspiring as he overcame major knee surgeries in college.

"It was great to finally meet him in person," Lattimore said. "He's been wonderful to me."

A string of injury issues has put into question the longevity of Rob Gronkowski's career.

Gronkowski has posted several of the best seasons in NFL history at the tight end position, but the 24-year-old has had multiple surgeries on his forearm and now will undergo back surgery. Gronkowski missed his senior year in college after a major back injury.

The New England Patriots signed Gronkowski to a six-year, $53 million extension in 2012.

The Patriots will have a decision to make on the final day of the 2015 league year when they have a $10 million option bonus. If New England doesn't pick up the bonus, the remainder of his contract would be voided.

The New Orleans Saints have $143.4 million committed to the salary cap for the 2014 season, which leads the NFL.

The 2014 cap is expected to be slightly more than $120 million, giving Mickey Loomis another offseason in which he will have to creatively reduce the Saints' cap issues.

The Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions are the only other teams with more than $130 million committed to the cap for 2014.

Titus Young was offered help by the NFL nearly 18 months before he was arrested three times in one week.

Troy Vincent, the NFL's director of player engagement, said a member of Young's camp phoned the NFL last year expressing concern about his well being.

"It was someone very, very close to him who was just concerned – really concerned," Vincent told Yahoo! Sports by phone on Tuesday. "Once we got the call, we sent someone out to meet with him."

Vincent said they reached out to Young several times.

"We were told he was not interested in support," Vincent said. "We went to people very close to his center of influence, to reach out to see how we can support him. The response was of someone who is not open arms to being supported."

The Detroit Lions released Young after an offseason fight with Louis Delmas.

Young also had difficulties with several members of the Lions' coaching staff.

Vincent said he still wishes to help Young, who is currently in jail in Orange County and faces up to 10 year in prison on 11 counts of burglary. 

Vincent called situations like this "our greatest challenge."

Tim Tebow remains unsigned and members of his camp are privately admitting that his career in the NFL may be over.

Tebow led the Denver Broncos to a playoff win during the 2011 NFL season, but was traded to the New York Jets when the team acquired Peyton Manning.

Tebow was cut by the Jets in April and no team appears willing to gamble on his questionable abilities at quarterback combined with the media circus that follows his every move as one of the most polarizing players in recent memory. But Tebow's abilities as a leader and a quality teammate are unquestioned.

Tebow has struggled badly with the mental side of the game, according to one source. Tebow scored below average on his Wonderlic test and is more of a kinesthetic learner.

Tebow has been offered a backup role in the Canadian Football League, though he could presumably start in the Arena Football League.

"There's no going halfway with Tebow anymore," said Tony Dungy. "You either gotta sell out and give him the keys to your team or stay away. Because, unfortunately, there's too much attention for him to be a regular, developing backup like everyone else."

Steve Smith is retiring from the NFL after dealing with ongoing knee issues.

Smith was a second round pick by the New York Giants in 2007 and caught 245 balls for 2,641 yards and 12 touchdowns during 64 career NFL games.

"I've been blessed to play the game that I love at the highest level for the past six years. I will always cherish my time with the New York Giants and our Super Bowl victory in 2007," Smith said in a statement through the Bucs.

"This was not an easy decision," Smith added, "but it's the right decision for me at this time."

Smith played for the St. Louis Rams last season and was most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Denver Broncos have signed Quentin Jammer.

Jammer joins Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as a free agent addition to the Broncos' secondary this offseason.

Jammer started 161 games for the San Diego Chargers.

JaMarcus Russell has lost 50 pounds and is now down to 265, his exact weight when he was the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Russell is receiving "significant" interest from more than one team, according to a source.

Russell would like to sign with a team where he can learn behind a respected leader at quarterback.

Russell also is "more than open" to signing with a team in the CFL.

Nate Montana is a longshot to make the roster of the San Francisco 49ers, but he participated in their one-day rookie minicamp on Friday.

Montana also attended the 49ers' rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in early May.

Montana is former backup at Pasadena City College, Notre Dama and the University of Montana.

The Atlanta Falcons will have $4.5 million in cap space cleared this week due to how they designated the release of Tyson Clabo for June 1.

The Falcons are discussing a deal with Richard Seymour, which will use that cap space.