With the big-money free agents long gone, teams are left to sift through the remaining scraps, which mostly consists of veterans and underachievers. And with the 49ers desperate for help, they’ve had “discussions” about signing Lance Briggs, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Briggs has been one of the best 4-3 outside linebackers of his era, spending all 12 seasons of his career in Chicago and going to seven Pro Bowls. The 34-year-old grew up in California and went to college at Arizona. The 49ers tried to lure him back to the West Coast in 2008 as a free agent, but were found guilty of tampering and docked a fifth-round draft pick. Briggs ended up back in Chicago, but is free again with no strings attached this time.
He’s no longer the player he was just a couple years ago. Injuries have hit Briggs hard and limited him to just 17 games the past two seasons. Sliding him in at inside linebacker in a 3-4 could be a way to squeeze another year or two out of his body.
The 49ers are also kicking the tires on free agent linebackers Mason Foster and Erin Henderson, having scheduled a free-agent visit with Henderson for Wednesday. GM Trent Baalke will surely address the position in the draft.
