Niners coach Jim Harbaugh continues to speak highly of Alex Smith, while general manager Trent Baalke remains mostly mum on the team's incumbent quarterback. Speaking at the NFL combine Thursday, Harbaugh said contract "talks are going on" between the 49ers and Smith's representatives. They have a week to finalize a deal to bring back the free-agent quarterback for a seventh year because the collective bargaining agreement will expire Thursday. "I very much like Alex," Harbaugh said. "I like being around Alex. I had an opportunity to evaluate the tape, and I think he's a very good football player. That being said, we're going to make the decision to bring in the best quarterbacks that we possibly can to compete for the starting quarterback job. "I'm hopeful that Alex, an unrestricted free agent, will choose that his next team he plays with, the fresh start, is with the San Francisco 49ers." Baalke was more guarded when he was asked about Smith. "Right now we're treating him as we do every other free-agent quarterback," he said. Smith might yet decide to test his value to other teams, but Baalke said that wouldn't influence the 49ers' draft plans, not even with a lockout looming, and free agency possibly coming after the April draft. "You've got to be ready regardless," Baalke said. "You have to have a plan for free agency. You have to have a trade plan. You have to have a plan for the draft. The order of it, obviously, if it was a traditional order, it would make it easier for us to make decisions. But you got to be prepared. It's an obstacle and we're prepared for it." Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Are we really about to give Alex the lastest of last most final chances to show that he can get it done??,.. Can only trust Harbaugh knows what he's doing.
