The San Francisco 49ers were in the news quite a bit this week with trade rumors surrounding Colin Kaepernick and the retirement of Patrick Willis and now they have added a major free agent on the market, as the team has signed Torrey Smith once the free agency period opened and this likely means Michael Crabtree will be following Frank Gore out of the Bay Area.
The Niners have gone through a number of changes this offseason, seeing the departure of longtime stars Frank Gore, Patrick Willis and likely Justin Smith and they also have a new head coach coming in. Jim Tomsula takes over for Jim Harbaugh and that has put pressure on Trent Baalke and Jed York to get the team back to the playoffs. According to ESPN.com, Smith signed a five year deal with the 49ers for $40 million and the contract has $22 million in guaranteed money.
The 49ers also may be in the market for another running back with Gore leaving, as NFL.com reports that Reggie Bush is coming in for a visit. Bush was released by the Lions and could be a target for a number of teams after dealing with injuries last season. Bush could compliment Carlos Hyde in the offense and give the team a solid running back that can catch passes.
CJ Spiller has been mentioned as an option for the Niners as well. The Bills are not bringing him back in free agency after they traded for LeSean McCoy and NFL.com reports at least seven teams have shown interest in Spiller. The Patriots could be a landing spot after the team lost Shane Vereen to the Giants in free agency.
Smith spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens and news came out last week that he would not be signing back with the team. Smith reunites with Anquan Boldin, who was traded to the Niners in 2013 and now he likely will take over as the number one receiver for the Niners. The team had Boldin and Crabtree as their top receivers last season and now Smith will be the top target for Colin Kaepernick, if he sticks around. The team downplayed those rumors earlier in the week, with Baalke reaffirming that the team is behind the quarterback.
Smith is a major deep threat and according to ESPN.com, he has averaged over 16 yards per catch during his four year career, the best in Raven history. Smith has also made 44 catches for 25 yards or more since 2011, which is ranked in the top 10 in the NFL over that span. Last season Smith had 49 catches for 767 yards and 11 touchdowns and in his career he has 30 touchdowns and 213 receptions. The 49ers passing game was one of the worst ranked in the league and they are hoping adding some depth at wide receiver can help Kaepernick improve as a passer after regressing in 2014.
