An industry source tells us that Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas already has a deal in place with the San Francisco 49ers.
Thomas and Niners coach Mike Nolan were together in Baltimore, when Nolan was on Brian Billick's staff.
On Sunday, Thomas admitted that the Ravens "don't have the money" to re-sign him.
Man, this is one of the few guys out there that I'd really like the Cards to pursue. It would really suck to not only not get him, but also to lose him to a division rival.
Pro Football Talk is hardly a paragon of reliability (remember the misinformation they spread during the coaching search?)
The buzz around Punditville is that Mike Nolan coached Adalius when he was DC of the Ravens and that this plus a lot of cap space logically should give the Niners an inside track toward signing him. Makes sense, but is a far cry from claiming a deal is already in place.
(Note - Niners with their cap room are also rumored along with Dallas to be a big player in the hunt to sign Leonard Davis).
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Yes it is. But it is happening all the time and it is happening right now.
The week of the combine isnt just for looking at rookies. It is also a week when GM's are meeting with agents and working out parameters of deals, trying to get agents to make them their first FA stop, and getting ideas as to how much a player will cost. It is all done on the down low but the combine is the real start of the free agency period and March 2nd is only the start of it in name only.
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BIG BAD MEANIES CLUB
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Conrad Dobler = Secretary of Pain
Yes it is. But it is happening all the time and it is happening right now.
The week of the combine isnt just for looking at rookies. It is also a week when GM's are meeting with agents and working out parameters of deals, trying to get agents to make them their first FA stop, and getting ideas as to how much a player will cost. It is all done on the down low but the combine is the real start of the free agency period and March 2nd is only the start of it in name only.
We had this exact same discussion at about the same time last year.
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See "stand around" Levi Brown watch his QB get slammed to the ground.
Since a report from ProFootballTalk.com, rumors have been flying around that the San Francisco 49ers may already have a deal in place for Baltimore Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas to join the team.
Matt Maiocco of the Press Democrat was asked some questions regarding this issue in his blog. When asked about his thoughts on the Thomas rumor, he had this to say:
Every team is different. There is no question that a lot (if not all) of teams will touch base with an agent to let him know that they're interested in his client. Last year, the big rumor at the combine was that the Packers already had a deal in place with 49ers LB Derek Smith. That, obviously, didn't turn out to be true, as Smith re-signed with the 49ers prior to the start of free agency.
When asked how an NFL team could make a deal with Thomas as free agency does not start until Friday, he had this to say:
Oh, my gosh! That would be cheating! We know NFL teams would never do anything but follow the strict letter of the law.
When asked about the possibility that the 49ers would go after both Thomas and cornerback Nate Clements, he had this to say:
For every member that says that A. Thomas is likely to go to the 49ers because of Nolan I would just like to point out that when Nolan was in B'more, A.T. was just a special teams standout.
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