The San Francisco 49ers’ defensive makeover resumed Monday when
veteran free safety Madieu Williams agreed to a one-year contract,
a league source confirmed.
What that says about the team’s willingness to re-sign free
agent Dashon Goldson remains in question.
By Cam Inman – Contra Costa Times
The San Francisco 49ers’ defensive makeover resumed Monday when veteran free safety Madieu Williams agreed to a one-year contract, a league source confirmed.
What that says about the team’s willingness to re-sign free agent Dashon Goldson remains in question.
Williams, released Thursday by the Minnesota Vikings, has never made the Pro Bowl in seven seasons as a starting safety. But he did win last season’s NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and he was visiting U.S. service members in Iraq when the award was bestowed before Super Bowls XLV.
“Madieu is a person that cares about people. He is not your prototypical pro athlete by any means,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said upon Williams’ recognition. “He is a rare person.”
The 49ers didn’t sign Williams simply for philanthropic endeavors, however.
Williams, 29, could be asked to fill a hole at free safety if Goldson leaves as a free agent. Goldson, a fourth-round draft pick in 2007, started all 32 games at free safety the past two seasons.
Goldson responded on Twitter that Williams’ arrival won’t scare him away from the negotiation table and he’ll keep an “open mind.” He added he “won’t mind takin(g) my talents else where to a place where I’m wanted … Whether (that’s) San Fran, Dallas or (wherever).”
Other safeties vying for starting roles include fourth-year veteran Reggie Smith and 2010 second-round draft pick Taylor Mays. That duo split time last season alongside Goldson, who tallied just one interception in 2010 after totaling four in ’09.
Williams recorded only one interception the past two seasons. He missed the first seven games of 2008 because of a neck injury, and he finished that season with two interceptions.
Terms of his contract with the 49ers haven’t been disclosed. He’s expected to earn just over the veteran minimum salary of $810,000, according to the source. Williams was slotted to make $5.4 million in salary this season as part of a six-year, $33 million deal that brought him to Minnesota, where he won NFC North titles his first two seasons (2008-09).
Williams was a second-round draft pick in 2004 by the Cincinnati Bengals.
-As expected, running back Frank Gore ended his training-camp holdout and showed up Monday at the 49ers’ Santa Clara facility. The team officially activated him from the “did not report” list, according to the NFL Network.
Gore failed to report Thursday and missed the first three days of practice, apparently because of a contract dispute. He is in the last year of his contract and did not receive a new deal upon his arrival Monday, according to a team official. The 49ers held meetings but did not practice Monday.
-Asked to sum up the 49ers’ light action in free agency, coach Jim Harbaugh told 95.7-FM: “I’m not disappointed. It sounds like maybe there is that sentiment out there. But we’re attacking it.” He heralded the signings of quarterback Alex Smith, defensive end Ray McDonald and kicker David Akers before noting how “we’ve gotten our nose bloodied on others we wanted to get and are on other teams.”
-Third-string tight end Nate Byham tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s practice and is out for the season, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In other injury news, rookie wide receiver Dontavia Bogan announced on Twitter he has a torn ACL and a broken bone in his knee. Cornerback Curtis Holcomb underwent surgery for a ruptured Achilles on Monday, according to his Twitter account.
-The 49ers will hold a news conference Wednesday morning at a Santa Clara hotel to unveil new renderings of their proposed stadium project, which is estimated to cost $987 million and slated to open in 2015.
-The 49ers have entered into a four-year partnership with 95.7-FM offering Monday programming that includes a monthly appearance by Harbaugh and weekly spots from general manager Trent Baalke and select players. Game broadcasts will continue on KNBR AM and 107.7 The Bone.
