Feb. 24, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEOMatt MaioccoCSNBayArea.comINDIANAPOLIS -- Quarterback Alex Smith has one week remaining until his service to the 49ers expires.New 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said he hopes Smith decides to remain with the team that selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. And Harbaugh says he can offer Smith a change of scenery by remaining with the 49ers.
"I'm hopeful that Alex, as an unrestricted free agent, will choose that his next team to play with, the fresh start, is with the San Francisco 49ers," Harbaugh said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine.The 49ers and Smith's agent, Tom Condon, have spoken about a new contract. "The talks are going on," Harbaugh said. But a source close to the situation said Smith has expressed a desire to test the free-agent market before making any decision.
The 49ers hold negotiating rights on Smith through March 3. After that -- when there's a new collective bargaining agreement -- Smith would be free to sign with any team."I'm on record as saying I very much like Alex," Harbaugh said. "I like being around Alex. I've had a lot of opportunity to be around him."I've had a lot of opportunity to evaluate the tape. I think he's a very good football player. That being said, we're going to make the decision to bring in the best quarterbacks we possible can and have them compete for the starting quarterback job."
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