Quarterback Jeff Garcia and right guard Ron Stone are expected to be former 49ers as early as Monday, but receiver Terrell Owens is not going anywhere quite yet.
The 49ers appear ready to part ways with Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who struggled with injuries and inconsistency last season. He will have his 49ers' fate determined Monday, general manager Terry Donahue said.
Garcia's agent, Steve Baker, said he expects his client will be released because the sides have not made much progress on a new contract for Garcia to replace the deal that is scheduled to pay him $9.958 million for 2004.
"I had a conversation with Steve Baker (Friday) and I informed him that we had not made a final decision about Jeff Garcia," Donahue said in a statement. "We are going to look at all of our options this weekend. We have a wide variety of choices. We told Steve we would notify him Monday afternoon as to what we are going to do."
Said Baker: "We are continuing to talk, but I believe the most likely scenario is that Jeff will be a free agent."
The 49ers appear to be in a rebuilding mode, coming off a 7-9 season. It is unclear whether Garcia would even want to return to the 49ers because of the mass exodus that continues to take place, even before 12 players are scheduled to hit the free-agent market on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the club released two respected veterans: running back Garrison Hearst and left tackle Derrick Deese. Garcia sustained a left ankle sprain last season that kept him out of three games when Kwame Harris' man tackled him. Harris is slated to take over for Deese, who was not blamed for a sack in his last 33 games with the 49ers.
Harris underwent shoulder surgery on Jan. 6 and has lost 25 pounds because of his inability to lift for a six-week period, the team said.
Stone, whose streak of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances came to an end last season, will be released next week, said Stone's agent, Ralph Cindrich. A team source confirmed that the 49ers plan to part ways with Stone.
The 49ers have asked Stone to accept a lower salary for 2004, believed to be an approximate $1 million reduction. Stone has played just two years of a four-year contract that would have paid him $9 million.
"Is Ron willing to take a pay cut?" Cindrich asked. "No."
The 49ers will save $1.5 million on the salary cap with the expected release of Stone. Two-year veteran Kyle Kosier is slated to take over at right guard.
Meanwhile, Owens, in a radio interview Friday, threatened legal action as he looks to become an unrestricted free agent. The NFL announced Thursday that Owens and his agent, David Joseph, missed the deadline to void the final three seasons of his contract, allowing the 49ers to retain his rights.
Owens finds himself tethered to the 49ers because of an apparent bookkeeping oversight.
The 49ers do not plan on Owens returning to the team next season, as they expect to trade him for one or more draft picks and, possibly, a player. The 49ers can dictate where Owens plays next season.
In his first public remarks since the NFL announced he will not be granted free agency, Owens did not accept any blame for the blunder.
"I can assure you that neither my agent nor myself made a mistake like this," Owens said in an interview Friday on Sporting News Radio. "For people to go out and say my agent made a mistake is utterly ridiculous and insane."
The language in Owens' contract, signed in July 1999, stated he had until the last day of the 2003 league year to void the deal. But in March 2001, a provision in the collective bargaining agreement, which overrides all player contracts signed prior to that date, set new dates for contracts to be voided.
The new deadline to void the contract was Feb. 21, but Joseph and Owens did not notify the 49ers of their intention to void until Wednesday -- four days too late.
The NFL Management Council says it informed the NFL Players Association of the new void date for Owens, who said they did not receive the notice.
"Someone was supposed to notify us if they moved the date up or back," Owens said. "We weren't notified. I'm not sure who is the responsible party for that. I feel very confident that it will and should be resolved. If not, we will have to take legal action."
No hearing has yet been set for Owens' appeal.
Owens has spent the past several seasons burning all bridges in the 49ers organization. The 49ers never intended to negotiate with Owens on the open market. But Owens said it is the 49ers who lack loyalty. Owens said his feelings were hurt when Bill Walsh said recently that Owens drops too many passes to warrant anything approaching the $20 million signing bonus he said he was seeking on the open market.
"It just hurt me for a guy like Bill Walsh, who I would go through a brick wall for, to go through the media and say that," Owens said. "For me, that shows there's no loyalty at all.
"I don't foresee myself being in San Francisco, but if that's the case, they know the type of player they are going to get. For them to make remarks like that, why would they want to keep a player like me if I can't catch?"
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The 49ers appear ready to part ways with Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who struggled with injuries and inconsistency last season. He will have his 49ers' fate determined Monday, general manager Terry Donahue said.
Garcia's agent, Steve Baker, said he expects his client will be released because the sides have not made much progress on a new contract for Garcia to replace the deal that is scheduled to pay him $9.958 million for 2004.
"I had a conversation with Steve Baker (Friday) and I informed him that we had not made a final decision about Jeff Garcia," Donahue said in a statement. "We are going to look at all of our options this weekend. We have a wide variety of choices. We told Steve we would notify him Monday afternoon as to what we are going to do."
Said Baker: "We are continuing to talk, but I believe the most likely scenario is that Jeff will be a free agent."
The 49ers appear to be in a rebuilding mode, coming off a 7-9 season. It is unclear whether Garcia would even want to return to the 49ers because of the mass exodus that continues to take place, even before 12 players are scheduled to hit the free-agent market on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the club released two respected veterans: running back Garrison Hearst and left tackle Derrick Deese. Garcia sustained a left ankle sprain last season that kept him out of three games when Kwame Harris' man tackled him. Harris is slated to take over for Deese, who was not blamed for a sack in his last 33 games with the 49ers.
Harris underwent shoulder surgery on Jan. 6 and has lost 25 pounds because of his inability to lift for a six-week period, the team said.
Stone, whose streak of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances came to an end last season, will be released next week, said Stone's agent, Ralph Cindrich. A team source confirmed that the 49ers plan to part ways with Stone.
The 49ers have asked Stone to accept a lower salary for 2004, believed to be an approximate $1 million reduction. Stone has played just two years of a four-year contract that would have paid him $9 million.
"Is Ron willing to take a pay cut?" Cindrich asked. "No."
The 49ers will save $1.5 million on the salary cap with the expected release of Stone. Two-year veteran Kyle Kosier is slated to take over at right guard.
Meanwhile, Owens, in a radio interview Friday, threatened legal action as he looks to become an unrestricted free agent. The NFL announced Thursday that Owens and his agent, David Joseph, missed the deadline to void the final three seasons of his contract, allowing the 49ers to retain his rights.
Owens finds himself tethered to the 49ers because of an apparent bookkeeping oversight.
The 49ers do not plan on Owens returning to the team next season, as they expect to trade him for one or more draft picks and, possibly, a player. The 49ers can dictate where Owens plays next season.
In his first public remarks since the NFL announced he will not be granted free agency, Owens did not accept any blame for the blunder.
"I can assure you that neither my agent nor myself made a mistake like this," Owens said in an interview Friday on Sporting News Radio. "For people to go out and say my agent made a mistake is utterly ridiculous and insane."
The language in Owens' contract, signed in July 1999, stated he had until the last day of the 2003 league year to void the deal. But in March 2001, a provision in the collective bargaining agreement, which overrides all player contracts signed prior to that date, set new dates for contracts to be voided.
The new deadline to void the contract was Feb. 21, but Joseph and Owens did not notify the 49ers of their intention to void until Wednesday -- four days too late.
The NFL Management Council says it informed the NFL Players Association of the new void date for Owens, who said they did not receive the notice.
"Someone was supposed to notify us if they moved the date up or back," Owens said. "We weren't notified. I'm not sure who is the responsible party for that. I feel very confident that it will and should be resolved. If not, we will have to take legal action."
No hearing has yet been set for Owens' appeal.
Owens has spent the past several seasons burning all bridges in the 49ers organization. The 49ers never intended to negotiate with Owens on the open market. But Owens said it is the 49ers who lack loyalty. Owens said his feelings were hurt when Bill Walsh said recently that Owens drops too many passes to warrant anything approaching the $20 million signing bonus he said he was seeking on the open market.
"It just hurt me for a guy like Bill Walsh, who I would go through a brick wall for, to go through the media and say that," Owens said. "For me, that shows there's no loyalty at all.
"I don't foresee myself being in San Francisco, but if that's the case, they know the type of player they are going to get. For them to make remarks like that, why would they want to keep a player like me if I can't catch?"
http://www.pressdemocrat.com
