It took a week into free agency and a red-eye visit to the Miami Dolphins before quarterback Alex Smith apparently agreed Tuesday to return to the 49ers.
The free-agency period had been open for a few days in early August, and Trent Baalke, the San Francisco 49ers' first-year general manager, was being hammered on all fronts.
Walls are coming down and funds are coming in in preparation for the 49ers' billion-dollar stadium in Santa Clara. Team President Jed York announced, via Twitter, that the NFL had given the green light for $200 million to be spent toward the 49ers' 68,000-seat venue, which will be ready before the 2015 season and perhaps a year earlier.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - It was one year ago that Jed York, Trent Baalke and then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh met at the home of a mutual friend and retired into the pool room. It was about noon. Sandwiches were waiting for them.