49ers sitting out early market mayhem
On Wednesday, for example, defensive end Olivier Vernon (Giants), cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Giants) and defensive end Malik Jackson (Jaguars) signed deals that include a combined $123 million guaranteed.
[...] the current state of the 49ers’ roster, coupled with the NFL’s fourth-most salary-cap space ($53.7 million), suggested general manager Trent Baalke might adopt a slightly more aggressive stance.
[...] his biggest move was to sign Williams, 26, the 49ers’ most prized in-house free agent, to a deal worth at least $5 million per season, NFL Network reported.
In December, before the regular-season finale, he noted that the team probably wanted to make sure he could remain upright for a season before entering into serious contract negotiations.
The Broncos are considering Kaepernick and former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III as fallback options, NFL Network reported, after Brock Osweiler, their presumptive starter in 2016, agreed in principle to a four-year, $72 million deal with the Texans.
On the heels of Peyton Manning’s retirement and Osweiler’s exit, Denver’s only quarterback is Trevor Siemian, a 2015 seventh-round pick who has not thrown a regular-season pass.
The 49ers traded tight end Vernon Davis to the Broncos in November, three months after Baalke and Elway had dinner during the teams’ joint training-camp practices in the Denver area.
The Broncos are free to speak with Griffin, who was released by Washington on Monday, but it would be more complicated to land Kaepernick, who remains under contract to a team that has insisted it wants to keep him on the roster in 2016.
In other free-agent news, one of Kaepernick’s longtime protectors, left guard Alex Boone, 28, signed a four-year, $26.8 million deal with the Vikings that includes $10 million guaranteed.
Dunbar, 26, whose 2015 season with Dallas ended in Week 4 with a torn knee ligament, has 391 rushing yards and 52 receptions in his four-year career.