Update: 11:43 – We have learned the deal Bryant signed is a 4 year 15 million dollar deal with a signing bonus around 5 million.
Update: 8:16 – For those out there looking for confirmation on this signing. Our reports have been confirmed by Craig Massei of the SF Illustrated. Massei is saying this:
The news on Bryant is for real. The 49ers have agreed with him in principle on a new deal, and there are just a few issues to finalize before there’s an official announcement.
Update: 4:44 – The official announcement on the signing of Antonio Bryant will be made this morning. We are hearing the deal is a 4-5 year deal. No word yet on the amount of the contract.
Update: 6:45 – Antonio Bryant has been signed. No word yet on length of deal.
Update: 5:30 – We learned earlier this afternoon that the 49ers and Antonio Bryant are close on a deal. Both parties are trying to reach an agreement at this time.
Of course as everyone already knows, Bryant is in town. No contract has been signed at this time. The Niners are very interested. It is believed Nolan wanted to meet him face-to-face before deciding whether to pursue him, because there are some character issues.
Jason said:
well they need to sign him before someone else does
!
1 day after the fact.Jerald Caldwell said:
Sign him and Givens if possible. The Draft is weak at WR this year. Givens, Battle, and Bryant
1 day after the fact.competeing for balls would be a good thing.
K W Sherrill said:
Givens, Bryant, Battle and TE Vernon Davis is even better.
23 hours after the fact.Sinorice said:
Alex Smith is a bust and I don’t think he’ll mature this season.
Don’t even bother getting A.Bryant when your QB sucks.
23 hours after the fact.Jason said:
Whatever your a faggot and a hater…Cant judge somebody after one season and hes only 21 i mean he still has atleast 3 more years til you can label him as a BUST
22 hours after the fact.matt said:
thats bull crap hes not a bust you can say that in 4 years if he is still the same, he wont be a bust we have success at this postion
22 hours after the fact.Corey said:
How can alex be a bust? first off he didnt have a lot of help. The o line is a work in progress, and the running game didnt help releave much pressure. He was a rookie.
22 hours after the fact.Steve said:
...and he didn’t even play CLOSE to a full season! But anyway I hope we get Bryant
22 hours after the fact.Of course said:
Interesting how the definition of “Nolan guy” keeps changing.
22 hours after the fact.Trevor said:
yea, alex had 2 do it by himself, he did a nice job in them final weeks. college is way different from nfl, alex had no protection or nothing. with Givens,Bryant,Battle,johnson, it will be tight.
21 hours after the fact.chris said:
alex smith got better every week, with the worst supporting cast in the league
20 hours after the fact.Sinorice said:
Well you guys should drafting Brodie Croyle, cause he will take away the QB job from Smith.
If Smith came out this year instead of last, he would of be a nobody/prospect QB/5-6TH round.
19 hours after the fact.Jason said:
Dude your smoking fucking crack
!! I’ll admit he shouldnt have been the number 1 overall,but if he came out this year he would be a for sure 1st rounder. Look at the numbers he put up in his last year of college, 3,000 yards passing 32 TDS 4 INTS. Those are great stats
! He just needs the Line to stay healthy and some weapons and he will be a Pro Bowler in 3 years
19 hours after the fact.Sinorice said:
Utah’s head coach went ot Miami!
Smith would had to learn a new system.
I stand by my statement.
19 hours after the fact.matt said:
hil be good okay and thats that,all he needs are some weapons and hill be fine.Brodie Croyale is a nobody, if we needed a qb we would go for a free agent
18 hours after the fact.Butch said:
Lock him up, Niners. Then see if we can swing David Givens. Then draft Vernon Davis with the 6th pick.
17 hours after the fact.Jerald said:
Hey Butch: We can trade down a couple spots and pick up another pick, and still get Davis.
17 hours after the fact.Tom said:
haha wtf?
17 hours after the fact.Daryl said:
“He’s got a beautiful jock strap”
did you just say that?
?!
16 hours after the fact.Jason said:
Great sign…..Almost lost faith there in Nolan
16 hours after the fact.Sinorice said:
FAKE, NO SOURCE OF FACTS.
16 hours after the fact.Erickson said:
Sinorice…why because it’s not on ESPN or KFFL?? I have my sources. You don’t have to believe it, that’s fine. But when it is reported by one of them then you’ll all of a sudden believe it…HAHA…Shame really I had the Jennings signing last season down to the signing bonus long before anyone else…oh well I guess you can’t please everyone.
16 hours after the fact.teddyb said:
we have bryant maybe but dont you think we need alot more what you all think
16 hours after the fact.Jason said:
Sinorice is the biggest HATER i have ever seen…...prolly a faiders fan
15 hours after the fact.Richard said:
If we get Bryant and Givens. I’d say we can hold the rest of the dough for the defense. Woodson and Hawk. TE is delicate position, but I’d rather have some balance between OF/DEF signins. We have to remember that we’re out of 2 good LB’s and we have 3 developable TE available. I know Peterson was out most of the season. That doesnt mean we dont need 2 LB’s. Its 3-4 remember. And we need to provide a star defensive back, if not we could have Norton and Singletary back there and still have Jeff Garcia thowing long bombs at us.
15 hours after the fact.darrel said:
yea like a couple more receivers! hey lets make davis a WR, he runs a 4.3
Besides is everyone forgetting our probowl te Johnson? If we draft davis, does he start?
15 hours after the fact.Mj said:
Do you guys think AB has what it takes to be the #1 reciever though. He’s showed great potential, but really has yet to quite break out. Last season was ok?
15 hours after the fact.darrel said:
There isn’t a free agent WR (besides u know who 81) this year capable of being a #1 receiver not even Randle-El. The scouting report on AB sounds very similiar 2 a guy we just shipped off. Dropped balls, lack of concentration, questionable attitude, how can AB be considered such a great upgrade?!!
15 hours after the fact.Mj said:
But still, we did get a 3rd round pick outta it, and we all know that we need WR’s. I think AB was one of the more WR’s that showed potential in FA this year. We needed to sign somebody, and i personally like AB over Givens. And, all i know about Bryants attitude is the Parcells incident personally, but I could be wrong.
15 hours after the fact.darrel said:
Either way our boys haven’t made the splash we’d thought they’d make,and where’s all this money we heard about? As a matter of fact, when is the last time we signed a significant free agent? Norton?
14 hours after the fact.Steve said:
Bryant and a 3rd & 4th pick sound a helluva lot better than just Lloyd…so we’re still good…I hope the Givens/Titans meeting doesn’t go well
13 hours after the fact.Dave said:
ESPN Insider Analysis for Bryant:
Quote:Grade 71
Expert’s Take Bryant is a tall, lean receiver who has very good foot quickness and very good running ability although his top speed is not in the elite class. He has a great surge off the line of scrimmage and he reaches his top speed quickly. He has the height to be able to compete for the ball and he has great leaping ability. He is a good route runner who at times has to gear down to make a cut. He still has the ability to accelerate and get good separation out of his cuts. He has excellent body control and change-of-direction skills, and is a threat with the ball in his hands after the catch. He can take a short gain and turn it into a big play. He has excellent hands and can make the over-the-shoulder catch and can snatch the ball on the run. He is somewhat inconsistent with his focus and concentration and has been known to drop some balls that should be caught and occasionally will show his immaturity and sulk if he doesn’t get the ball. He has very good physical strength, but doesn’t use his strength effectively as a blocker down field. He is a streaky player who needs to smooth out his inconsistencies and become more dependable in all phases of his game.
Regarding all that stuff that took place in Dallas, Bryant was drafted early. He honestly JUST turned 25 on March 9th. He already has played 4 years in the NFL. His first 2 seasons were in Dallas. I would probably say his quarrel with Parcells was due to immaturity at the time.
The guy put up pretty decent numbers last year, and has done decently well for every year he has had in the league, including his rookie year, where he put up 733 yards on just 44 catches. Don’t forget last year Cleveland didn’t exactly have the most spectacular offense either. The guy still broke 1,000 yards in a division that has some pretty tough defenses.
The guy is basically a taller, bigger, more experienced, more accomplished version of Brandon LLoyd. Now lets just hope his attitude issues are a thing of the past. Let’s also hope he isn’t afraid of going over the middle.
13 hours after the fact.Chis said:
You guys are idiots. A deal in principle is not “signed” there is a huge difference. Clearly you are all just trying to get people to your site with fake stories.
2 hours after the fact.Erickson said:
Chris…Chris…Chris…If I wanted to get people to the site with fake stories. Wouldn’t I have more of them. Believe what you wish, I have no problems with that. My sources said a deal was signed, and I went with it. So when by your terms he is signed…does our story become less fake? Enjoy the site BTW.
2 hours after the fact.OC Niner said:
Good call Erickson….....Clearly Chris is the “idiot” since he can’t even spell his own name (Chis). Keep up the great work on the site!
1 hour after the fact.Ryan said:
You might have had the jennings signing, but you guys also reported Boston signed with the 9ers which was a load of crap.
1 hour after the fact.Erickson said:
I don’t disagree on the Boston deal. Again we had it Boston was signing…which we still stand by that. Our sources gave us the info, and it didn’t happen. Not the first time and probably not the last. But of course I could make excuses and what not to try and get myself out of those things, but I will not. I stood by my sources then, and I’ll stand by them now.
52 mins after the fact.Chris said:
When does it become for real? When a source like 49ers.com, espn.com, or a real newspaper says it has occured. When a coach or a GM or someone to that effect states that it has occured. Not some anonymous source from now where. The boston example is a perfect explanation of my point.
44 mins after the fact.joe said:
who is next for us
49 mins after the fact.Erickson said:
Chrissy…so have Clayton, Mort, or other 49er beat writers ever been wrong on their reports? Answer me that. But if you want to wait 16 hours after the fact go ahead….
1 hour after the fact.Gelb72 said:
Hopefully to make a believer out of Chris: ESPN is reporting the story. See: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2366769
1 hour after the fact.Hope you will have more faith in our man Erickson from now on. Thanks for the great site.
joe said:
why care what chrissy has to say =not 49ers fan = he is a hater
1 hour after the fact.Ryan said:
Espn, Clayton, is reporting the same. What’s funny is the terms that 49ersnews.com “has learned” were posted 10 minutes after Clayton reported them on Espn.com
2 hours after the fact.Birdman said:
Way to get the scoop guys. Props. Keep it up over here.
3 hours after the fact.Ryan said:
I don’t think you understand. Espn had the terms posted on their site, then 10 minutes later 49ersnews.com posted the terms as if they “heard” them from a source, when really they were just posted on espn.com.
3 hours after the fact.Robert said:
Well its about time we sign somebody…What is taking the 9ers so long to sign free agents… What happen with the LB position almost every “target FA ” we had has sign with some other team and what is worse the Rams sign Witherspoon which was the best LB in FA. Who are going after now besides Givens? Any ideas…Thanks
3 hours after the fact.Erickson said:
Ryan…what is the problem we did learn about the details. Yes Clayton reported it, and so did we. But thanks for letting me know Clayton reported it. I’ll go check and see what he said about it. But I’m sure you forgot to notice that we had the years before ‘Clayton’ reported. Next time I’ll have the amounts on here before you see it on ESPN. Sound good? Good.
5 hours after the fact.Ryan said:
Wow… a 4 or 5 year deal for a 25 year old WR? Shocker. It’s pretty obvious that all you do is make ‘educated’ guesses.
5 hours after the fact.Taylor said:
Why worry about who reported what when? Point is, the niners got Bryant. What’s more important is, what are they going to do next? Givens would definitely help, but with good free agent linebackers going to other teams, what would be so wrong with re-signing our own linebackers then going for a corner from around the corner…ahem, Woodson???
Look forward not back at who reported what when. It all seemed to work out.
5 hours after the fact.Trevor said:
im telling u, Woodson will be great as a San Fran 49ers
5 hours after the fact.Richard said:
Just thought Id drop my 5cents worth…. Erickson thanks for exclusive. I always check, ESPN, Sportline and the 9ers news, and you were the first one in (12 hours ahead at least). Now all you have to do is report, Givens, Woodson signing in and Peterson signing back. Then call AJ Hawk at the draft. And stop it with this OF line crap we have a young talented group who will turn eyes this year. THe only thing I have is BARLOW back there. He’s had to many chance, give our man Frank Gore some room to shine. I really dont get how some people think team will bew able to get to the SUperbowl by signing 3 or 4 guys. Man everything needs a process, or did you miss San Diego’s, Minnesota’s and Dallas’ season last year. Man come, on…. please use what ever God out in your head and think clearly for once in your life, or did you burn out your brains correcting your name Chris???
8 hours after the fact.Cuzo-P said:
GR8 JOB
this is a good signing for us. It helps to replenish our hole in the reciever deptartment. but we still need a solid number 2 reciever to give battle time to develop.
8 hours after the fact.Erickson said:
Ryan…glad to see my ‘educated’ guesses have kept you coming back. Again enjoy the site.
8 hours after the fact.darrel said:
Erickson, this site is sweet!! Every since i found it it’s the first one I check when I hop on the net. ESPN is 2 slow
! Right on Richard, our O-line is fine we just need 2 resign jp. Throw in Hawk and another free agent and we’ll be fine.Lets make vernon davis a WR, he run’s a frickin 4.3
! Think T.O. without the attitude
! Lets pray Eric stays healthy, he is the key 4 those quick reads that we will have plenty of this year.Battle 2 has 2 stay healthy or we r n trouble!! Woodson would look sweet in a niner jersey at CB, or how about FS?? Last thought- Nolan wanted Jurivicious, so did we niner fans. We lost out on that one.
10 hours after the fact.