Feb. 26, 2008

The Niners hit the free-agent market as hard as any team in the league last offseason. However, after the club struggled through one of the toughest and most disappointing seasons in recent memory, newly promoted GM Scot McCloughan has gone on record as saying the team won’t be involved nearly as much in free agency this offseason, even though it again has a fair amount of money under the cap at its disposal (roughly $30 million). At least one high-profile free-agent addition (LB Lance Briggs?) remains a good possibility. The two UFAs most likely to follow in QB Shaun Hill’s footsteps and re-sign with the team appear to be NT Isaac Sopoaga, who is expected to again join forces with ’07 free-agent addition Aubrayo Franklin at nose tackle and also possibly play some defensive end on occasion, and Maurice Hicks, a good pass-catching running back who could be an intriguing fit in Mike Martz’s revamped offense. The Niners also wouldn’t mind holding on to undersized UFA DE Marques Douglas, one of the league’s best run stuffers — but only at the right price.