There was a report last week that 49ers QB Alex Smith will seek his release before free agency, which starts in March. On Tuesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh all but shot down the notion.
“I don't think any player (asking for his release) has those wishes granted when they're under contract,” the coach said, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “And everything's different. Every scenario is unique. It's certainly not something we're going to delve into and get into specifics.”
The implication, of course, is that Smith is available via trade, and there are plenty of teams in search of a starting quarterback. The Browns, Jets and Cardinals are obvious choices, though we're too early in the process to have any real sense for how this plays out.
Last week, 49ers CEO Jed York said there was room under the cap to keep Smith but didn't commit to bringing back the first-overall pick from the 2005 draft.
"From a need standpoint? It's pretty nice to have two quarterbacks that you feel you can win with," York said. "Is there going to be a demand for a quarterback that's played as well as he has the last couple of years? Yeah. Does he want want to go start and play? So there are a lot of things that go into it. And we'll sit down after the Super Bowl and figure out what's best for everybody and how to move forward."
Source: CBS Sports
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February 04, 2013
