49er's Agree to Terms with Alex Smith.

SLAB

Hall of Famer
#1
Niners Agree To Terms With Alex Smith
25th July, 2005 - 7:16 pm

FoxSports - FOXSports.com has learned that the 49ers have agreed to terms with their top pick, and the top overall selection, Utah quarterback Alex Smith. The deal exceeds the total the Giants gave to Eli Manning, last year's No. 1 pick.

Smith's six-year contract is for $50 million and includes $24 million in bonus money, the most guaranteed money given to a rookie in the history of the NFL.

The signing of Smith is significant, as nearly every other draft pick has been waiting for the No. 1 pick's deal to get done in order to base their deals upon that contract.

Smith is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Niners this year ahead of last year's starter Tim Rattay and was signed to be the cornerstone for the next generation of 49ers football.

http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_w...050725/niners_agree_to_terms_with_alex_smith/
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#3
The NFL needs a rookie salary scale. It would be easy to implement. The owners would dig it, and the players association would jump all over the idea to take money from college kids and give more of the pie to established vets.

I like Alex Smith, but that much cash for a guy who is far from a lock as a great player makes me nervous as a 49ers fan.
 
#5
Smith was eager to sign, and indicated he didn't want a holdout. The Niners are in PR hell, and any signing looks good, especially long term. I don't see that they had much of a choice. It may not make a lot of sense from a football perspective, but York may see it as a form of damage control with the massive loss of fan loyalty that they have been experiencing.
 
#7
I don't know...they managed to build a very good team with Garcia-Owens, and tore that down pretty quick. I'm not going to buy in until they can show some prolonged success. Signing the number 1 pick after their worst season in history doesn't win my vote of confidence.
 
#9
Andriod_KiNg said:
That is insane, too much for Alex Smith, but i guess shame on the 49ers for not getting a deal done before the draft.
48 million to a potential franchise qb??

i would just compare it to the contracts of larry hughes,bobby simmons, samuel dalembert

maybe thay'll make niner fans feel better about the $$$$
 
#10
captain bill said:
I don't know...they managed to build a very good team with Garcia-Owens, and tore that down pretty quick. I'm not going to buy in until they can show some prolonged success. Signing the number 1 pick after their worst season in history doesn't win my vote of confidence.
After looking at the 49ers history over the last oh 20 years, I think as a fan I'll be a little patient with the new bosses and see what they can do. Its not like the 9ers haven't had years upon years of success. One year in the tank while extremely frustrating isn't much compared to what some other teams have gone through. Kings fans who have been around for the last 20 years or so can attest to what real frustration is.

Signing Smith anytime before the season is good in my book. Now get the rest of those guys signed and get to camp. I'm happy to see the 49ers trying to make the right moves to make a successful team, lets just hope it works.
 
#11
stevetaebo said:
48 million to a potential franchise qb??

i would just compare it to the contracts of larry hughes,bobby simmons, samuel dalembert

maybe thay'll make niner fans feel better about the $$$$
This was a bad year to have a number one pick, no clear cut player to select, 49ers tried to trade out of it but no one wanted ...
 
#14
LPKingsFan said:
Say what you want about the NBA's CBA and labor issues, but it's far superior to the NFL, not to mention MLB.
NFL = one-sided in favor of the owners
MLB = one-sided in favor of the players union
NBA = seems to have the best balance

NHL = well, let me put it this way. I heard the players MAY get back their medical and dental. Maybe.
 
O

ONEZERO

Guest
#17
im a huge niner fan.... thats way, i mean way too much money for alex smith.... after seeing how much eli manning got last year, i was like which idiot would pay him that much? now my team pays a qb more than that? god help the nfl and these rookie contracts.. who do these rookies think they are? they should be getting 3 mil a year, 4 tops. theyve never ever ever prooven anything and then they want these massive contracts? give me a break.
 
#18
I love the line "they haven't proven anything". You don't become the number 1 pick in the NFL draft without proving something. Now, that something isn't if you can suceed in the NFL but they have proved they have the talent and ability.
 
#19
Fillmoe said:
i think york is finally on his way to realizing how to run a franchise........
Dr. Dufus had to pay Smith the bank and then some. I hope his contract doesnt bring the 49'rs down. It would be a shame to see them finally get out of their salary cap mess just to pee it all away.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#20
ONEZERO said:
im a huge niner fan.... thats way, i mean way too much money for alex smith.... after seeing how much eli manning got last year, i was like which idiot would pay him that much? now my team pays a qb more than that? god help the nfl and these rookie contracts.. who do these rookies think they are? they should be getting 3 mil a year, 4 tops. theyve never ever ever prooven anything and then they want these massive contracts? give me a break.
The rookies aren't the ones writing the checks.

If Smith can get the job done, he's worth all that and more. I have no problem with it. As JSin said, he's already proven he has the talent and ability. If the 49ers can give him a decent front line and a couple of receivers, this could be a much better year for them - and the fans.
 
#21
JSin said:
I love the line "they haven't proven anything". You don't become the number 1 pick in the NFL draft without proving something. Now, that something isn't if you can suceed in the NFL but they have proved they have the talent and ability.
That's the point. Players don't get paid to reward their college careers. They get paid to play football in the NFL (or NBA, MLB, etc). Which is why Jason White went undrafted. Had a good college career, but isn't going to get paid for that.
 
O

ONEZERO

Guest
#23
VF21 said:
The rookies aren't the ones writing the checks.

If Smith can get the job done, he's worth all that and more. I have no problem with it. As JSin said, he's already proven he has the talent and ability. If the 49ers can give him a decent front line and a couple of receivers, this could be a much better year for them - and the fans.
Lebron james was the most hyped player in the history of sports and he didn't get anything close to what smith got.... Not to mention basketball franchises only have 12 players on the team and with a lot of money to go around.

Bottom line, there's nothing anyone can say or do that can persuade me to believe that these rookies deserve these massive contracts.