NT Franklin will be 49ers’ tag player before long-term deal is done

As a long-term contract has not been agreed between two sides, the San Francisco 49ers decided to place franchise tag on nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin first to keep him in 49ers jersey. The non-exclusive franchise tag will still allow Franklin to negotiate with other teams after the March 5 deadline of free agency.

“Aubrayo has proven to be a valuable contributor to our defense and we are looking forward to having him on our team going forward,” general manager Scot McCloughan said. “Although a contract extension has not been completed at this time, we will continue to have discussions with Aubrayo and his agent.”

The non-exclusive franchise tag also allows the 49ers to match any offer or receive two first-round picks as compensation for losing Franklin if he was signed away by another team. But it appears unlikely that 49ers will use such a right as the team still wants to retain Franklin with a long-term contract.

As one of the top nose tackles in the league last season with 36 tackles, two sacks and an interception, 29-year-old Franklin has recorded 291 tackles, four sacks, one interception and three forced fumbles in his seven-year career. He could earn just more than $7 million next season with the tag, and the 49ers do have reasons to worry about the process of contract negotiation: Franklin would have been one of the most coveted free agents if without franchise tag and quite a few teams would be willing to offer him good deal.

Unusual meeting was held between Crabtree and 49ers top executives

On Tuesday, unsigned wide receiver and top draft pick Michael Crabtree met with three top San Francisco 49ers executives in person at an undisclosed spot in the Bay Area away from the team’s Santa Clara headquarters. Crabtree’s agent Eugene Parker was also present.

Although the 49ers spokesman Bob Lange did not reveal details of the meeting, we can guess it must be about the contract. Crabtree, the 10th overall draft pick, had been seeking money comparable to higher picks and declined the 49ers’ long-standing offer for approximately five years and $20 million with a reported $16 million guaranteed. After the meeting, both sides must get something done. The 49ers must sign Crabtree by Nov. 17 for him to remain eligible to play this season in 49ers jersey.

Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last year during his sophomore season at Texas Tech, and totaled 31 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 TDs in his college career. However, he still needs to practice a lot to learn the offense before playing a real time, since he has missed all of the 49ers’ offseason minicamps, OTAs and training camps.

49ers are not willing to comment on Crabtree’s holdout

After the ESPN.com reported that Michael Crabtree is prepared to sit and re-enter the NFL draft next year, the San Francisco 49ers just do not want to make comment on the top draft choice’s holdout.

The 49ers said in a statement released on Thursday that the team has not talked with the media about their negotiation. They believed that there had been open and positive conversations on both sides since they took the wide receiver with the 10th overall pick this year.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith said that he was not sure about Crabtree’s decision, but he was not worried because he supposed the team would focus on the guys they have right now. He also suggested that rookie players should work hard to know their position well enough.