Report: Goldson to re-sign with 49ers for one year

Aug. 8, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE
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Matt MaioccoCSNBayArea.com
SANTA CLARA -- Safety Dashon Goldson will sign a one-year contract with the 49ers, Pro Football Talk reported Monday morning, citing a league source.Goldson visited the New England Patriots on Sunday, according to multiple reports. The 49ers were prepared to make Goldson their highest-paid free agent after the NFL lockout concluded but were unable to agree on a five-year contract. Goldson and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were expecting a long-term contract that averaged 7 million annually, a source told CSN Bay Area.With Goldson's return, the 49ers now have nine safeties on the squad. Veteran Donte Whitner is being relied upon to be the leader of the secondary. After the 49ers signed Whitner, it appeared as if Goldson would not be returning to the 49ers. He even wrote on Twitter: Sorry guys thanx for all ur support but not gonna be back. See ya.The move appears to force Reggie Smith, slated to start at free safety, to a backup role. Smith started the last seven games of the 2010 season and had gotten off to a strong start through the first eight practices of training camp.None of the other safeties on the roster is guaranteed a roster spot: Madieu Williams, Taylor Mays, C.J. Spiller, Curtis Taylor, Chris Maragos and Colin Jones. Special-teams contributions will play a large role in the reserve positions. The 49ers have notified the other 31 teams in the league that Mays is available in a trade.