To Peterson or not to Peterson
I love this guy for our D, but his agents are morons... And hopefully we can work something out to keep him, but no way he gets the Franchise Tag at 9 mil.
Let's see what happens...
San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan has taken a stance that the team will not make use of the franchise or transition tags to secure any of its free agents this off-season. Over the past two years San Francisco has used the franchise tag to secure linebacker Julian Peterson as a 49er, or at the very least receive large compensation if he were to leave. The team paid a hefty price to keep Peterson around, but ultimately the team was successful at doing just that.
However, the San Francisco 49ers and Peterson have been unable to resolve the contract dispute over the past few years. Many believe this is due to Peterson’s agents - the Poston brothers, Carl and Kevin - who are simply unwilling to negotiate. It would seem now that Peterson, who had his worst season in recent history, is also in no place to negotiate. In not accepting contract offers over the past few years, Peterson has likely missed out on compensation that at this point he can only dream of. Still, Peterson is a very capable player, one who the 49ers would like to keep around for the right price.
Peterson is rare athlete, who plays the linebacker position with a special quality. He can rush the passer, defend the pass, and has played every single position on the 49ers defense – except defensive tackle. He has had games where he would play linebacker, defensive end, cornerback, and safety. That type of athleticism is hard to find, even in the NFL. His versatility makes him a player that opponents have to account for. That is why, even coming off of an injury filled few seasons San Francisco would like to retain Peterson. That, and of course the fact that free agency is expected to hit the team’s linebacking core extremely hard.
In the past Peterson has expressed interest in remaining with the 49ers, but ultimately it will come down to whether or not he and his agents are willing to negotiate on his contract – because the 49ers' offer this off-season should be a fraction of what they have offered in the past. In all likelihood, the free agent market will not pay that much for Peterson either - based on the injury and a lackluster 2005 campaign. So there is a chance that Peterson and the 49ers can finally reach an agreement.
If Peterson does part way with the San Francisco 49ers this off-season, then a few things will be true. First, that teams should stay away from signing players that are represented by the Poston brothers. It is one thing to be a hard negotiator, and another to be completely unreasonable. Second, it will be true that the 49ers really did make Peterson fair offers. But beyond that, I will question why the team did not trade Peterson or his rights last offseason for as little as a second round pick. Any casual fan could have seen that the 49ers were not setup for success this season, Peterson – even if he had his best season - was not going to be the difference between a winning and losing season. And so, if the 49ers let Peterson walk this free agency period, then the team made a gigantic mistake last year in not trading him when his value was high and when the team still had rights over him.
What all this points to, is the fact that the 49ers front office is a shadow of its former self. Regardless of the decision to sign Peterson or not sign him, to franchise or not franchise him, it is quite clear that the 49ers do not have a man in the front office who can stand up to tough agents like the Poston brothers and who has the vision as well as the initiative to see this type of predicament arising and deal with it before it actually does occur. It’s for that reason that Mike Nolan so eagerly wants to bring in a veteran negotiator and 'football guy' to the front office. I think that this is an imperative move, and may be the only way the 49ers do not get hosed in this and future free agency periods.
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To Peterson or not to Peterson
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