Tuesday, February 5, 2013
If Goldson isn't tagged
By Tim Kavanagh
Last offseason, the San Francisco 49ers failed to reach a multi-year agreement with impending free agent S Dashon Goldson, and instead used the franchise tag on him to prevent other teams from signing him away. After another solid campaign in the red and gold, Goldson believes that he proved it in his "prove it" campaign of 2012, and doesn't deserve a second-straight tag.
"I felt that they wanted me to prove myself, and I think I did just that," he declared Tuesday, per the Sacramento Bee. "So if I was in the position again with the franchise tag, I'd be very surprised."
The Niners have dished out lucrative, long-term deals to LBs Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman recently, and one will likely be on the way for Aldon Smith before much longer. Whether there's room in the budget for such a pact with Goldson is unclear. If Goldson does not re-sign with San Francisco (or get tagged), he should find a good market for his services, given his aptitude both in run support and pass coverage. Teams such as the Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Bengals, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, Lions and Panthers are all in need of safety help to some degree, though some of those franchises are not typically known to spend big on veteran free agents.
