Alex Smith finally signs new contract with San Francisco 49ers – NFL News
San Francisco 49ers and quarterback, Alex Smith, has finally agreed to join hands for three more years, different reports citing credible sources claimed on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.
No official announcement has yet been made, but it is speculated that the value of the deal is around $24 million.
Smith was an underrated player until the last National Football League (NFL) season in which the quarterback performed impressively under the new coach, Jim Harbaugh.
He led the team to winning the National Football Conference (NFC) West division title and got a shot at the NFC championship.
Smith started his professional NFL career with 49ers in 2005 after signing a six-year contract. Before the last season, he signed a one-year contract with the team and his brilliance on the field captivated everyone’s attention.
Following the season, Smith and 49ers had said that they would enter into negotiations to work out a new deal.
However, the twist in the tale came when Indianapolis Colts released their 14-year veteran quarterback, Peyton Manning.
Many NFL teams put behind their plans of signing a new quarterback or re-signing the old ones in an attempt to pursue Manning to join them. 49ers were also in the list and Peyton reportedly worked out and threw passes for them.
49ers were in contact with Smith as well, but the quest for Manning had certainly prolonged the contract negotiations.
Since Peyton Manning has now joined Denver Broncos, Smith’s way is clear. As soon as Manning was out of 49ers’ reach, they tabled the contract for Smith.
"We have a contract on the table and it's up to him. We'd like for him (Alex Smith) to be here, and we'll see where it goes,” 49ers’ CEO Jed York said on Monday.
While refraining from commenting on the new deal, 49ers’ head coach, Jim Harbaugh, said of Smith as ‘our guy’ and asserted that the relationship between the player and the organisation is very strong.
Meanwhile, 49ers’ running back, Roger Craig, has welcomed this development and said that Smith’s presence will help the team in winning the Super Bowl. He said:
"I can see these guys dominating for the next decade. The kind of intangibles Harbaugh brings to the table, he's very competitive and a smart guy and players believe in him, and just look how Alex stepped up his game.”
49ers are expected to officially announce the deal in a day or two.
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